Scream franchise alum Neve Campbell has confirmed that prior to her turning down Scream 6, early story plans for the sequel did indeed involve her beloved character, Sidney Prescott.
Campbell was recently in attendance for a panel at Mad Monster Party Arizona. In light of the actor deciding not to reprise her role as Sidney in Scream 6, she was asked if plans for the film’s story involved Sidney at any point, or if the character had been left out of the creative process from the start. “There were plans for Sidney, and they are no longer, unfortunately,” Campbell replied. “I’m sure they’ll make a good movie.”
Campbell originated the role of Sidney Prescott in the satirical 1996 slasher film Scream. She subsequently reprised the role in 1997’s Scream 2, 2000’s Scream 3 and 2011’s Scream 4. Most recently, Campbell portrayed Sidney in the 2022 legacy sequel Scream. However, whereas Sidney was the main protagonist of the first four films, she was more of a supporting player in the fifth, with the new lead character being Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera).
A number of characters who made their franchise debut in 2022’s Scream are expected to return in Scream 6, including Sam, as well as Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega). Moreover, Hayden Panettiere will reprise her role as Kirby Reed from Scream 4, while franchise newcomer Dermot Mulroney is said to be playing a police officer. Franchise veteran Courteney Cox — who has been around since the beginning alongside Campbell — has also strongly implied that she will be reprising her role as Gale Weathers in Scream 6.
Sidney Prescott Is Sitting Out Scream 6
However, earlier this year, Campbell herself revealed that she would not be returning for Scream 6, as she found the offer that was made to her to be unsatisfactory. “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,” she said. “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.”
Some of Campbell’s Scream co-stars have chimed in on the matter. For instance, fellow franchise staple David Arquette, who played Dwight “Dewey” Riley in the first five Scream films, said he respects Campbell’s decision not to return, though understand the studio’s perspective as far as the business aspect is concerned. Meanwhile, Matthew Lillard, who played Stu Macher in 1996’s Scream, came out strongly in support of Campbell.
“Think about it. Did Tom Cruise take less money for Maverick 5 [sic]? F–k no, dude,” Lillard said. “No. So why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn’t you pay her more as the series goes on? And was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a shit ton of money? Yes. Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she’s done in five movies of a franchise? Yes. Because she is a female lead of… one of the most successful horror franchises. Infuriating.”
It was later rumored that Campbell had successfully negotiated a new deal to return for Scream 6, as well as a future Scream 7. However, Campbell put the kibosh on such reports during the same panel at Mad Monster Party Arizona. When asked if there was any truth to the rumors, she replied, “There is not I’m afraid to say. I’m sorry. Sorry guys.”
Scream 6 releases in theaters on March 31, 2023.
Source: Mad Monster Party Arizona, via Screen Rant