The next Scream movie will certainly feel like something is missing, as the main star of the franchise has confirmed that she will not be back for the sixth installment. From the very start of the movie series in 1996, Neve Campbell has shined in her role as Sidney Prescott, having since established herself as one of the horror genre's all-time greatest final girls. Fans were ecstatic to see her back in the role once again this year for the fifth Scream, but that's going to be the end of the line for Campbell.
Per Deadline, it has been reported that Campbell has officially passed on Scream 6. Campbell herself confirmed the news and explained that the offer that she had gotten for the sequel was too low. While not revealing any numbers, Campbell feels that she knows her worth, and that the offer given to her by the Scream 6 team was not reflective of her value.
“Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film," Campbell said. “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."
She added, “It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. 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."
It's not clear what the plan is exactly for Courteney Cox in Scream 6, nor is it known what kind of offer she was given to return, but she has conversely already agreed to reprise her role as Gale for the next movie. There are a handful of other cast members whose characters managed to survive the fifth Scream that are also signed on to return, as is Scream 4 favorite Hayden Panettiere. There will definitely be a lot of familiar faces in the next one, but one very important one won't be there.
Can Scream Survive Without Sidney?
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are back to direct Scream 6 after directing this year's reboot. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick are also writing the screenplay. There are many key elements of the previous film that are back, but it still remains to be seen how the next movie will perform with fans knowing ahead of time that Sidney Prescott won't be present. It could definitely be argued that her inclusion, along with that of fellow original stars David Arquette and Courteney Cox, played a very big part in the new Scream doing as well as it did.
Scream 6 is scheduled to be released on March 31, 2023. Meanwhile, fans can keep up with Campbell by watching her in the new Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer, which has also found great success with great praise for Campbell's performance.