Movie-goers will notice at least one familiar face missing when the upcoming horror-comedy “Scream 6” hits theaters in late March of 2023: Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott.
Campbell’s Prescott led a motley cast — including, among others, Matthew Lillard, Drew Barrymore, Jamie Kennedy, Skeet Ulrich, “The Exorcist” actress Linda Blair — as they battled a killer nicknamed “Ghostface.” The first film even featured uncredited cameos from director Wes Craven and “Happy Days” actor Henry Winkler.
But as plans for a sixth “Scream” movie began to solidify, rumors began circulating that Campbell was leaving the franchise — and according to Deadline, she confirmed that those rumors were true. “Sadly, I won’t be making the next Scream film,” she said.
😱 #Scream6 will be the first film in the horror franchise without Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott! Word began to leak on the convention circuit with Campbell, and she says today, “Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film” https://t.co/qqYfJoZaax pic.twitter.com/P2f3ciELe0
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) June 6, 2022
Campbell — who currently stars in the Netflix series “The Lincoln Lawyer” alongside Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Becky Newton, explained that after 25 years and $744 million dollars — she felt that the amount she was offered to reprise her role for a sixth time did not match the value she had brought to the franchise in the first five installments.
“As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to ‘Scream,'” Campbell said. “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,” she added.
“Scream 5” raked in a cool $140 million worldwide, and in addition to Campbell’s Prescott, brought back Detective Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox).
The sixth installment will follow four survivors of the earlier Ghostface murders as they try to escape their past by leaving Woodsboro and attempting to start over. Actress Hayden Panetierre will be among the returning cast members, and “My Best Friend’s Wedding” star Dermot Mulroney is expected to join the franchise as a cop.
The script for the upcoming sequel will be a joint effort from James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, and fifth-installment directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will return to take the helm again.