Gale Weathers-Riley

Gale Weathers-Riley is a Final Girl in the Scream quadrilogy with Sidney Prescott. She is portrayed by actress Courteney Cox.

Scream
Gale Weathers is an ambitious reporter hoping to strike it famous and rich, despite being stuck as a local news reporter in the little town of Woodsboro.

When Scream begins, Gale has just released a book on the murder of Maureen Prescott, Sidney's mother, which has Sidney Prescott's feathers ruffled just a little bit. Gale is convinced that the man convicted, Cotton Weary, is innocent, and even goes so far as to insinuate that Sidney was an unreliable witness, something Sidney disagrees wholeheartedly with.

The murders happening in Woodsboro has Gale salivating, believing this could be her big break if she could solve the murders. She manages to find an unlikely ally in Dewey Riley, a young deputy on the police force.

Infiltrating a teenage party with Deputy Dewey Riley, Gale finds that she has stepped into a proverbial minefield, with the killer attacking and killing multiple people inside of the house. After surviving a crash in her news van, Gale makes it back to Stu Macher's house to find out that Stu and his friend Billy Loomis are the Woodsboro serial killers. Her attempts to save Sidney fail, as she forgets to take the safety off of her gun. She is knocked unconscious, but survives, coming to Sidney's aid in the end.

Scream ends with Gale reporting on the massacre at Stu Macher's house as law enforcement and medical personnel descend on the house.

Scream 2
In Scream 2, Gale is now a best-selling author, thanks in large part to her book based on the Woodsboro murders of the first film. A movie, Stab, has also been made, based on her book about the murder. When a young couple is killed during the movie, law enforcement and Gale quickly realize that there is a copycat on the loose.

There is still no love lost between her and Sidney, but the confession of Stu and Billy have set Cotton Weary free. Gale has assured him that he can have a sit-down interview with Sidney Prescott, despite the fact that Sidney refuses to do so.

Teamed up once again with Dewey Riley, Gale and Dewey are both attacked at the college's theatre, where Gale survives and Dewey is almost fatally wounded. Due to a misunderstanding, she mistakes Cotton Weary for the killer, before finding out that ambitious reporter Debbie Salt is the mastermind behind the entire operation.

Gale is held hostage by Salt, who Sidney identifies as the mother of Billy Loomis. Gale is shot in the ribs, but she survives, only suffering some broken ribs in the process.

At the end of the film, instead of reporting on what had happened, she runs to the aid of Dewey, who survived his brutal attack, and goes with him to the hospital.

Scream 3
Gale is now a famous reporter, and the self-proclaimed authoritative expert on the Woodsboro Murders. When Cotton Weary is murdered, Gale realizes that there is another killer out there looking for Sidney Prescott. She begins working with the LAPD, infiltrating the set of Stab 3, the sequel to her film based on the book. Gale is stunned to learn that Dewey Riley, her ex-boyfriend, is now a consultant on the film.

Things between Gale and Dewey are acrimonious because Gale left Woodsboro once Dewey had healed from his wounds in the previous film. Dewey is also now dating an actress named Jennifer Jolie, who is portraying Gale in the films. Jennifer, realizing that the killer may come after the real Gale before her, sticks to Gale like a bad headache, refusing to leave her side.

Gale and Jennifer delve deeper into the past of Maureen Prescott, Sidney's mother, and learns that there is so much to Sidney's mother that has been passed to Sidney.

Gale and Dewey soon find themselves in trouble at the hands of the new killer, Roman Bridger, the half-brother Sidney Prescott didn't know anything about. Sidney manages to kill Roman before he killed all of them.

Scream 3 ends with Dewey proposing marriage to Gale.

Scream 4
Gale and Dewey are now married and living in Woodsboro. Sidney's return has stirred up a new killer.

Gale is infuriated with Dewey for what she perceives to be a personal slight. As the sherriff, he distanced her from the case and played hardball with her journalism. Gale, despite Dewey's warnings to leave it to the professionals, infiltrates a Stab party -- a movie marathon of the now seven films based on Gale's book -- where she is attacked and stabbed by the Ghostface Killer. Dewey manages to save her and Gale is rushed to the hospital in time.

Dewey visits Jill Roberts -- Sidney's cousin -- and informs her that Gale has survived. Jill accidentally allows it to slip that she knows Gale was stabbed in the shoulder, though the information isn't brought to Dewey's attention until Gale brings it up. They find themselves in trouble at the hands of Jill, the new killer. Gale manages to distract Jill long enough for Sidney to kill her.

Trivia
Comedienne Janeane Garofalo turned down the role of Gale Weathers

Courteney Cox -- who played Gale -- and David Arquette -- who played Dewey -- fell in love on the set of this movie and wound up getting married in reality.

Brooke Shields was almost cast as Gale Weathers after Janeane Garofalo turned the role down