The Scream franchise has brought yet another character back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, David Arquette’s Dewey Riley, for the upcoming Scream 7.

The 53-year-old actor played the beloved Woodboro cop in the original 1996 film Scream, along with 1997’s Scream 2, 2000’s Scream 3, 2011’s Scream 4 and 2022’s soft-reboot Scream.

The character was killed in 2022’s Scream by Amber Freeman (new Oscar winner Mikey Madison), though now he’ll return in Scream 7, via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline.

He joins previously-deceased characters Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) from the original Scream, and Scott Foley’s Roman Bridger from Scream 3.

While it remains unclear how these deceased characters will play into the story, fans have not been shy on social media, reacting to the news.

Some are quite stunned, while some are floating various theories about how Dewey and the others will figure into the story.

The Scream franchise has brought yet another character back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, David Arquette’s Dewey Riley, for the upcoming Scream 7.

The 53-year-old actor played the beloved Woodboro cop in the original 1996 film Scream, along with 1997’s Scream 2, 2000’s Scream 3, 2011’s Scream 4 and 2022’s soft-reboot Scream

Some are quite stunned, while some are floating various theories about how Dewey and the others will figure into the story

The first four films were set in the sleepy town of Woodsboro, which is terrorized by a mysterious killer known only as Ghostface.

Each film had a different killer (or killers), with the first being Lillard’s Stu Macher and Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis.

Read More Courteney Cox confirmed to join Scream 7 cast

It’s worth noting that Ulrich did return as Loomis in 2022’s Scream in the form of a hallucination, who guides Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), Loomis’ illegitimate daughter.

He also appears via hallucination in the most recent installment, 2023’s Scream VI, though it’s still unclear how Dewey and the other deceased characters will be back.

In lieu of any official confirmation by the studio, fans were quick to speculate about Dewey’s return on social media. 

X user @SteelerVol4Life said, ‘I grant you there’s no f***ing way 115 lbs Mikey Madison killed a 161 lbs and a former professional wrestler in David Arquette in Scream 5 But I still ask the question: How? We saw him in a body-bag.’

Another user – @Galv_Studios – offered said his return, ‘ can mean one of two things. 1: It’s a flashback scene. 2: Scream 7 is going to be the franchise’s equivalent of Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.’

New Nightmare was director Craven’s film directly before the first Scream, which featured the actors from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise as themselves, and not in character.

The first four films were set in the sleepy town of Woodsboro, which is terrorized by a mysterious killer known only as Ghostface

He also appears via hallucination in the most recent installment, 2023’s Scream VI, though it’s still unclear how Dewey and the other deceased characters will be back

In lieu of any official confirmation by the studio, fans were quick to speculate about Dewey’s return on social media

X user @SteelerVol4Life said, ‘I grant you there’s no f***ing way 115 lbs Mikey Madison killed a 161 lbs and a former professional wrestler in David Arquette in Scream 5 But I still ask the question: How? We saw him in a body-bag’ 

Another user – @Galv_Studios – offered said his return, ‘ can mean one of two things. 1: It’s a flashback scene. 2: Scream 7 is going to be the franchise’s equivalent of Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.’

Others chimed in like @drugproblem, who said, ‘this movie is just doing anything,’ as @TVMoviefan30 said, ‘WTF he died how?’

Khivan (@khiaville) added, ‘all of the challenged individuals thinking this means the character is alive’

Others chimed in like @drugproblem, who said, ‘this movie is just doing anything,’ as @TVMoviefan30 said, ‘WTF he died how?’

More fans agreed with the New Nightmare theory like @JGarzaIII, who said, ‘gotta be new nightmare now… crazy!’ 

X user @SwiftBurrow13 said, ‘New Nightmare version of Scream,’ though @nintendofan87tv wondered, ‘so like a dream sequence?’

Khivan (@khiaville) added, ‘all of the challenged individuals thinking this means the character is alive.’

Dewey’s widow Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) will also be back for the sequel, along with returning franchise members Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks-Martin) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks-Martin).

They will be joined by franchise newcomers Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, Mark Consuelos and Ethan Embry for director Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original Scream film.