Neve Campbell has issued a statement confirming that she will not be reprising her role as iconic final girl Sidney Prescott in Scream 6.
It will be the first film in Scream’s 26-year history to not star Campbell, who has carried the slasher movies since 1996.
“As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream,” she said, as reported by Deadline. “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
Scream 5 was the first film to not be directed by Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015.
Filmmakers Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) instead took on the role, opting to shift the focus to a new character called Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), receiving a mixed reaction from fans and critics alike.
Campbell 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.”
By the end of the latest movie, Campbell and Courteney Cox, who plays reporter Gale Weathers, were the only two “legacy characters” left standing after fan favourite Dewey Riley (David Arquette) was brutally killed off.
Responding to the news of Campbell’s departure, Arquette told ComicBook: “A Scream movie without Sidney is kind of unfortunate, but I understand her decision. It’s all a business in a way, they have to balance all these elements to fit a budget and produce a film. I get it, she’s still alive! She [can] absolutely be in future ones, but I think it’s up to fans to call for that in the future… That is sudden, it’s a business, though. I respect her decision, for sure.”
Whether or not Cox is going to return for Scream 6 is yet to be officially confirmed, though she did previously state that she was taking part during an appearance on the Just for Variety with Marc Malkin podcast.
Hayden Panettiere is set to reprise her role of beloved character Kirby Reed from the fourth film.
The latest Scream film grossed $140 million at the box office and its marketing campaign focused heavily on the OG trio, making it unclear how these changes will impact the upcoming movie’s commercial performance.
Scream 6 is slated for a 31 March 2023 release.
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