Following the announcement that a sixth instalment in the ‘Scream’ franchise was in the works, the thought on everybody’s mind was whether or not series star Neve Campbell would be returning.
Originally, back in January 2022, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Campbell was asked if she would be interested in doing another film, to which she replied by stating, “Yeah, absolutely. It’s down to the strength of the story. But these guys did really well on this one, so I’m curious to see what would come next.”
Following that interview, talk would go quiet about Campbell’s involvement with the film, but it didn’t take long before fellow franchise star Courtney Cox officially announced that she had signed on to reprise her role as Gale Weathers in the upcoming ‘Scream 6’.
With Cox now on board, everybody wondered if Campbell wouldn’t be far behind.
Then in May, fans of the slasher series received another huge casting announcement, when it was reported that Hayden Panettiere had signed on to reprise her role as Kirby Reed, a character that first appeared in ‘Scream 4′. In the film, she is presumably left for dead after being stabbed by one of the Ghostface killers, but thanks to a scene in ‘Scream (2022), we learn that Kirby managed to survive the encounter.
Along with Cox and Panettiere, it was also announced that Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown, who starred in ‘Scream’ (2022), would also be reprising their roles for this next instalment in the franchise.
Then just days ago, it was announced that Dermot Mulroney would be joining the cast, where he would be playing a cop in the upcoming film. Despite all of these casting announcements, there was still no word on whether or not Campbell would return.
Now it appears that Campbell has finally spoken out about her involvement in the film, but it’s unfortunately not what we were hoping to hear.
In an interview with Variety, Campbell gave the following announcement: “Sadly, I won’t be making the next ‘Scream’ film. As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to ‘Scream.’ I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It’s been a very difficult decision to move on.
She ended by stating, “To all my ‘Scream’ fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
This will now officially mark the first film in the franchise where Campbell does not appear in some capacity. With that in mind, can we even call this a ‘Scream’ movie? Because what is ‘Scream’ without Sidney Prescott?
Although plot details on ‘Scream 6’ continue to be scarce, it’s been revealed that the film will be a continuation of the previous film that focuses on “the four survivors of the Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.”
The film is still in pre-production but is expected to start filming this month, with an estimated release date of March 31, 2023.
