David Arquette would love for Hayden Panettiere to return as Kirby Reed in Scream 5. Portraying the soft-spoken Dewey Riley, Arquette has headlined all of the Scream movies so far. In that time, he’s seen many familiar faces tangle with Ghostface. Names such as Sarah Michelle Gellar and Timothy Olyphant have all been a part of Scream, back when they were rising stars.
Scream 4, which was released in 2011, utilized a significant number of recognizable performers to sell its cheeky condemnation of reboots and remakes. The likes of Adam Brody, Alison Brie, and Kristen Bell, all had memorable supporting parts in the film. It was Panettiere’s turn as Kirby, though, that left audiences with the strongest impression. The character combined the attributes of Sidney Prescott with a little bit of Randy Meeks, presenting a potential Final Girl who was also a major film geek. Arquette will be back for Scream 5, which will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and he was recently shared his thoughts about reuniting with Panettiere.
In an interview with HollywoodLife, while promoting his documentary You Cannot Kill David Arquette, the actor was asked about the possibility of Panettiere reprising the role of Kirby for Scream 5. “I love Hayden,” Arquette said. “I think she’s a tremendous person and actress, and I’d love to see her back.” The fate of Kirby has been a topic of discussion among horror fans the release of Scream 4, with her supposed death being shot in a deliberately ambiguous way.
After the memorable scene in which an anxious Kirby rattles off all the horror movie remakes she can think of in an effort to save her boyfriend Charlie (Rory Culkin) from certain death, Charlie betrays Kirby and stabs her twice in the stomach. Because her death is never actually shown on-screen, audiences have come up with several theories which would support the possibility of Kirby surviving the attack. Wes Craven, who directed all four installments of the Scream franchise, would later reveal that the original script included a moment which would have confirmed that Kirby’s wounds were not fatal. On the whole, however, Scream 4 had a significant body count that stretches into the double digits. The fact that there are still calls for Panettiere to appear as Kirby, among all the other new characters introduced, is indicative of the strength of her performance.
It is currently unknown, outside of a few preliminary details, what shape this latest iteration of Scream will take. It’s possible the film will take the significant step of forging its own continuity, picking and choosing what it wishes to honor out of the previous sequels. But as Arquette’s comments reveal, the history of the franchise is still held in high regard. Even in the case of Scream 4, which is generally seen as a weaker movie, there are still aspects of the story that audiences look back on with fondness. With the help of solid writing and Craven’s distinctive direction, Panettiere turned Kirby into a character that felt fully realized. Hopefully, there will be a place for her in Scream 5.
Source: HollywoodLife