Spoiler Warning: Scream (2022)
Everything about Scream 6 seemed to be coming together. After the success of the fifth installment of the Scream franchise was released earlier in January and became a smashing box-office success, the sequel was green-lit immediately, with fans excited about what else Ghostface has coming for his victims. Matt Bettinelli-Opin and Tyler Gillet, who are also known as Radio Silence, are set to return as directors, with James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick also returning as the writers. It seemed like a shoo-in for the rest of the cast that survived Ghostface to return for the sixth installment.
Cast announcements began flooding in with confirmation that Scream 6 will have Courteney Cox reprising her role as Gale Weathers. The returning cast will also include Jenna Ortega, who played Tara Carpenter and was Ghostface’s first victim in Scream (2022), Melissa Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter, Billy’s daughter and Tara’s older sister, as well as Jasmine Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding who play twins Mindy and Chad respectively. Additionally, Hayden Panettiere, who played Kirby in Scream 4, will reprise her role, an announcement that excited veteran Scream fans.
However, the biggest name that was confirmed not to return was Neve Campbell, who played Sidney Prescott and is the center of the Ghostface killings. The news shocked fans when Campbell herself made the announcement this past week to Variety, saying:
"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. 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."
There is no doubt that Scream 6 will not be the same without our heroic Sidney defeating Ghostface. With that being said, how will Scream 6 move forward without its star Neve Campell?
Early Announcements and Negotiations
After the success of Scream (2022), there were already talks about a sixth Scream with Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and even David Arquette, who died in the fifth film, expressing interest in returning for a sequel. To the delight of many, Paramount Pictures and Spyglass green-lit the sequel, with reps saying, “We are tremendously grateful to the fans around the world who enthusiastically received our film. We can’t wait for audiences to see what Radio Silence, writers Jamie & Guy, and Project X have in store for our Woodsboro family,” according to Deadline. Radio Silence also added, “Working with such a wonderful and talented family of creators – and in the lineage Wes and Kevin so expertly built – has been the thrill of a lifetime, and we’re so excited to bring the next chapter in the Scream saga to life.”
Once the sequel was confirmed, Cox and Campbell were approached to return to Scream 6. Cox mentioned reading the script and saying it was “really good.” She, along with the franchise newbies Ortega, Barrera, Brown, and Gooding, as well as Panettiere, were then officially confirmed to return in May.
Meanwhile, Campbell announced on June 6th about not returning to the sequel because of salary negotiations, with Scream 6 moving on without Sidney Prescott.
Scream Fans and Co-stars React
Campbell’s statement left fans and fellow Scream co-stars agreeing that the Scream franchise wouldn’t be what it is without Campbell. David Arquette, who too was in all five of the Scream films with Campbell, reacted to the news by telling Comic Book:
“A Scream movie without Sidney is kind of unfortunate, but I understand her decision.”
The biggest but most accurate reaction came from co-star Matthew Lillard who played Stu in the first Scream. During a Twitter Spaces, he defended his co-star, saying:
"Did Tom Cruise take less money for [the Top Gun sequel]? F**k no dude. So why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn't you pay her more as the series goes on? Was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a s**t ton of money? Yes. Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she's done in five movies of a franchise? Yes, because she's a female lead of one of the most successful horror franchises."
Other Scream co-stars such as Jasmine Savoy Brown, Emma Roberts, and Jamie Kennedy halve also come to Campbell's defense about her departure.
Scream fans agree. Campbell is someone who has continued to push the franchise forward. From starring in the first Scream in 1996 in that era of horror fans to starring in the fifth installment of Scream, which attracted a new generation of horror fans, the franchise successfully blended the two generations of horror fans. There hasn’t been another successful franchise in the horror genre that continues to be a box office hit with each sequel and critically acclaimed.
What to Expect from Scream 6
Shortly after the news of Campbell exiting Scream 6, the plot of the upcoming movie was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, which “continues with the four survivors of the Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.” Ortega also mentions in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the MTV Movie Awards that Scream 6 is the most violent Ghostface has ever been.
While it’s no secret, the franchise had been wanting to branch out to new characters in the franchise escaping Ghostface's wrath of horrors. Fans continue to anticipate the involvement of the original characters in some way or another. Here’s hoping the sixth Scream will still involve Sidney Prescott somehow, with Neve Campbell returning for any other future films in the franchise.