The Mystery of Sidney Prescott’s Husband: Joel McHale Replaces Patrick Dempsey in Scream 7

The “Scream” series has always thrived on surprises, but this latest twist might have fans scratching their heads. As production begins on Scream 7 in Atlanta, it’s been confirmed that Joel McHale, famous for his role in Community, has been cast as Sidney Prescott’s husband, Mark Evans. This news, first reported by Deadline, has stirred up quite a bit of curiosity—and confusion—among devoted fans of the series.

For a long time, viewers believed that Sidney’s off-screen husband, mentioned briefly in Scream (2022) was Detective Mark Kincaid, portrayed by Patrick Dempsey in Scream 3. After all, even Dempsey himself hinted at the possibility of returning, saying in an interview on The Today Show last October, “I’m waiting on the script. There has been a conversation about it. I haven’t seen anything yet, so we’ll see what happens.” But now that McHale is taking on the role of Sidney’s husband, it looks like Kincaid might be completely out of the picture.

This choice raises many questions. Why introduce the new character of Mark Evans, instead of expanding on Kincaid’s background with Sidney? Was this due to scheduling issues or contract talks with Dempsey? And what does this mean for the series’ continuity?

Along with the introduction of Sydney’s husband, it was also previously reported that Isabel May has been cast as Sidney and Mark’s teenage daughter. This finally brings Sydney’s briefly mentioned family officially into the “Scream” universe.

Kevin Williamson, who is back to direct Scream 7, shared his enthusiasm for the project on Instagram earlier this month: “I’m not supposed to post about Scream, and I hope [Spyglass] and [Paramount] will forgive me, but when you have one of the best days of your life, it’s really hard to keep it to yourself,” he wrote. “What an extraordinary day I had working with an amazing and talented cast and crew. They brought their ‘A’ game and had my back every step of the way. I’m so very grateful for this opportunity and to Wes Craven, who was on my mind through it all. The profound impact he has had on my life and career is endless. What a day! I can’t wait for tomorrow!”

While Williamson’s excitement suggests a hopeful new chapter for the franchise, fans will be left to wonder why such a drastic change was made. Patrick Dempsey’s Detective Kincaid played an important role in Sidney’s story during Scream 3, and his absence feels like a wasted opportunity to reintroduce this character. For a franchise known for bringing back beloved characters from previous installments, this choice to seemingly erase Kincaid from Sidney’s life is stirring up a lot of questions—specifically, why create a new character when the perfect one already exists?

As new information comes to light on McHale’s character, Horror Facts will be sure to report it and with Scream 7 set to hit theaters on February 27, 2026, one thing is clear—Ghostface isn’t the only one keeping fans on their toes.