When the first rounds of castings came out, the list included notable names, such as Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, and Joel McHale. It pointed to a storyline that would bring new and old slashers together to reign havoc, except a separate casting announcement suggests something else is in store for the next chapter in the Scream franchise.
The recent addition of David Arquette returning as Officer Dewey suggests the plot will take a step backward in flashback sequences instead of forward. That's the only feasible way for Arquette's character to appear again. His end in Scream IV was more than definitive. Richie (Jack Quaid) and Amber (Mikey Madison) made certain of that. They all but gutted Dewey.
There is another capacity that Dewey can return. After the past two installments allowed Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) to show up as hallucinations/manifestations in reflections, it goes to reason that other characters can appear in a similar fashion.
An argument can be made that Billy only appeared to Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) due to genetics. Sam managed to be a functioning member of society before the murders restarted, but when faced with life-or-death situations, her predisposition to kill came out. At the same time, hallucinations of Sam's dead father began happening.
Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) won't see visions of her dead friends since she's not afflicted by the same mental health issues as the Loomis' family. Of course, psychological triggers might cause Sidney to have temporary hallucinations.
Further evidence of Sidney's mind fracturing is in the Scream 7 castings. They include Scott Foley as Roman Bridger, Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher, and Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis, suggesting those characters will appear as manifestations. No one besides Sidney would have dire memories of those Woodsboro killers—with the exception of Gale (Courtney Cox)—so Mrs. Prescott is undoubtedly the one having visions of her deceased predators.
It's worth mentioning that visuals of Billy, Stu, Roman, and Dewey could be something else much more foreboding.
Typically, when a main character gets killed off, they see flashes of all they've experienced or—in Sidney's case—endured. Assuming a copycat gets the better of her this time and she winds up bleeding on the floor, it's reasonable to assume Sidney will see the other slashers she's come out victorious over. Having Stu, Billy, and Roman stand over Sidney, mocking her, during her final moments would emphasize that she failed.
The silver lining is that Sidney seeing all those faces will probably motivate her to get up and seek medical attention. She's stubborn that way. There is, however, a chance that getting up will endanger her further because, at this point, Sidney's death is a fifty-fifty possibility.
Scream 7 opens in theaters on February 27, 2026.