Scream fans were thrilled to hear the news that Ghostbusters actress Mckenna Grace was cast in the latest installment in the franchise, Scream 7 — but it appears the most excited fan of all is Grace herself.
“I’m so jazzed,” Grace, 18, told Us Weekly exclusively at iHeartRadio’s Z100 Jingle Ball in New York City on December 13. “It’s actually crazy. I have a tote bag and it has Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard that I take with me everywhere.”
Along with Ulrich and Lillard, the original Scream cast was rounded out by David Arquette, Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, and the latter two actresses will also be starring in the new film, set to be released in February 2026.
While she was born a whole decade after the 1996 film was released, Grace is highly familiar with the OG cast.
“I work comic cons, and I snuck in one time to one of the photo opps so I could take a picture with the original Scream cast,” she told Us. “I’m a really, really big fan. It’s been, like, the hardest secret to keep from my friends, but I’m very excited.”
Grace’s casting in the slasher film comes after a series of casting shakeups over the last year. In November 2023, news broke that Scream (2022) and Scream 6 (2023) lead Melissa Barrera was fired from the upcoming film after she was vocal about her support for Palestine. That same month, Jenna Ortega exited the project due to scheduling conflicts.
The Scream franchise won’t be the same after Melissa Barrera‘s firing and Jenna Ortega‘s departure ahead of the seventh film. Before the shocking dismissal, Scream became a horror staple spanning decades. The first film, which was released in 1996, focused on Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as she faced off against numerous killers hiding their identity […]
In March, Campbell announced she would be returning as Sidney Prescott in the upcoming film (after skipping out on Scream VI), and this fall, Scream franchise alums Mason Gooding and Cox confirmed they will also be starring in Scream 7.
One would think entering such a complex and beloved franchise would be intimidating, but Grace has the horror chops to prepare her for the role. The young actress’ horror credits include Amityville: The Awakening, Malignant and the Annabelle film series.
Mckenna Grace Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
“[Horror] is really where my heart lives,” she told Us. “I love scary movies. It’s what I grew up on with my dad. I was such a weird kid growing up. All of my favorite movies were scary movies. Tim Burton [movies] were my favorite animated films, so I was always very into the creepy stuff and Halloween.”
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc What’s your favorite scary movie? Another Ghostface is coming to up the kill count in Scream VII — but who from the OG cast will make an appearance? After sitting out from the franchise’s sixth installment, Neve Campbell revealed in March that she would be reprising her role of final girl Sidney […]
She continued: “It’s so crazy to me to be making those kinds of movies that I grew up with, but, like, the sequels. It’s very, very odd. It’s very surreal.”
While Grace played coy about the plot of the upcoming film, she told Us that “all I can say is I’m really excited.”