Horror nerds rejoice! Neve Campbell has announced that she’ll reprise her role as iconic Final Girl Sidney Prescott in Scream VII.
Campbell announced via Instagram, where she wrote, “Hi All. I’m so excited to announce this news!!! Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!! 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. I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!”
But that wasn’t the only news: Campbell revealed that Scream writer Kevin Williamson would be directing Scream VII. Williamson, the father of the franchise, wrote Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 4 and has been a producer on every film in the franchise. He’ll be directing a script by Guy Busick, who wrote Scream (2022) and Scream VI.
Campbell’s return comes after the implosion of Scream VII when production company Spyglass fired series star Melissa Barrera over social media posts supporting Palestine. Barrera’s firing came hand-in-hand with Jenna Ortega’s exit from the franchise, due to scheduling conflicts with her Netflix series Wednesday. Soon after the franchise lost its leading ladies, director Christopher Landon also left the project, calling the gig “a dream job that turned into a nightmare.”
Campbell returns to Scream VII after skipping out on Scream VI due to salary disputes. At the time, Campbell told People Magazine, “I did not feel that what I was being offered equated to the value that I bring to this franchise, and have brought to this franchise, for 25 years.” She continued, “And as a woman in this business, I think it’s really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued, … I honestly don’t believe that if I were a man and had done five installments of a huge blockbuster franchise over 25 years, that the number that I was offered would be the number that would be offered to a man.”
Campbell received support from Scream co-stars Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy and from Williamson himself. While Scream fans are no doubt thrilled that Campbell is returning, the actress is already facing social media backlash over Barrera’s firing (which she had nothing to do with). Hopefully, fans won’t blame Campbell for Spyglass’s mistake.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
