Joel McHale says Patrick Dempsey was meant to play Sidney's husband in Scream 7

Joel McHale has confirmed that Patrick Dempsey was supposed to play Neve Campbell's on-screen husband in Scream 7.

Fans of the horror franchise widely expected Dempsey to reprise his Scream 3 role of Detective Mark Kincaid in Scream 7, as Campbell's character Sidney had previously referred to her husband as "Mark".

However, it was ultimately announced that McHale had been cast as Sidney's husband, a different police officer character called Mark Evans.

During a recent appearance on the Inside of You podcast, McHale confirmed that he was drafted in after the Grey's Anatomy star turned the part down, and if that wasn't enough, he also had to sit in a chair bearing Dempsey's name.

"Patrick Dempsey played the husband in the last one, and he was supposed to play this one," he explained. "And I don't know how it went down. I think it's schedule or it was money, I don't know. Patrick, please forgive me if I'm f**king this up."

The Community star added, "But I get there, and his nameplate is on my chair - I tried to keep it. They wouldn't let me."

After Sidney Prescott mentioned her husband Mark and their daughters in 2022's Scream, many fans assumed she was married to Dempsey's Mark Kincaid.

When asked about his potential return in 2024, he said on the Today show, "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."

When pressed more directly about a return, he simply joked, "I mean, you know, it's always good to have a job."

Dempsey, who has recently worked on the TV shows Dexter: Original Sin and Memory of a Killer, has yet to address McHale's comments.

Scream 7, which depicted Sidney's husband and eldest daughter for the first time, was released in February.