Neve Campbell has confirmed her comeback as Sidney Prescott in Scream 7, but the departure of key cast members and controversies surrounding the production have raised curiosity about the direction of the next installment.
With an Instagram post of the Scream 7 script, Neve Campbell revealed that she will be returning as Sidney Prescott for the new movie.
Scream Franchise Star Returns To The Big Screen
Campbell revealed that she was asked to return to Scream in the most respectful way, and she was delighted to accept. It has always, apparently, been a pleasure and an honor to portray Sidney in the Scream movies:
"It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned"
After a highly successful reboot in 2022, which introduced new franchise talent such as Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, the franchise suffered a series of setbacks. The downturn began in 2023 with the release of Scream VI. While still a decent box office success, the movie received a less enthusiastic response than its predecessors.
For many fans, one of the most disappointing aspects of the film was the marginalization of the series' main character, Sidney Prescott (portrayed by Campbell), who had been at the center of every previous film. This time, the franchise's other regular character, Gale Weathers (played by Courteney Cox), was left to address Sidney's absence with a passing comment.
However, it was revealed that Campbell declined to participate in the film due to what she felt was an inadequate salary offer from the studio, given her importance and long association with the franchise.
It Was Touch And Go For Scream 7
Despite the absence of Sidney Prescott, when Paramount announced plans for Scream 7, promising the return of key characters from recent films, anticipation remained high. This was especially true with the appointment of the talented Christopher Landon (of Happy Death Day) as the new director.
However, early in production, the production company Spyglass abruptly fired Barrera, the star of the previous installments, citing her comments on the Israel-Gaza conflict as anti-Semitic. Subsequently, Ortega also left the project. While this was attributed to scheduling conflicts with the production of a second season of Wednesday, it seemed odd that the film couldn't adjust to one of its major stars. After Barrera's dismissal, Landon also left the project, leaving it without stars or a director. At least, that was the situation until now.
Only Uphill From Here
Scream creator Kevin Williamson, who recently campaigned for Campbell to be paid fairly for her role in Scream, will direct Scream 7. The screenplay will be written by Guy Busick, who most recently co-wrote the screenplays for Scream 5 and Scream 6 with James Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt will remain involved in the Scream franchise. He is producing Scream 7 with his Project X Entertainment partners William Sherak and Paul Neinstein. And Radio Silence, the team that behind the previous two films, will be executive producing.
So far, it's very unclear what this new movie might be about. There's also no word on which cast members from the previous movie might return. So let's wait and see.