Warning: This article contains spoilers for Scream.
A fan poster for Scream imagines a sequel that brings back fan-favorite character Kirby Reed. Kirby is a character from 2011's Scream 4 played by Hayden Panettiere, who at the time was fresh off her stint on Heroes as a cheerleader with superpowers. She is an effortlessly cool teenager with slicked-back hair and a love for horror trivia, essentially that film's replacement for slasher survival expert Randy Meeks, played by Jamie Kennedy in the original Scream trilogy.
Kirby was a standout among the new members of the Scream 4 cast, though unfortunately she was last seen being stabbed in the gut by one of the killers, who she thought was an innocent victim that she was rescuing. Many fans have demanded "justice for Kirby" and hoped that she would be appearing in some way in the fifth Scream film, which just hit theaters on January 14. Unfortunately, Panettiere did not return to reprise the role, however, the filmmakers included an easter egg referencing the fact that Kirby did in fact survive the events of Scream 4, leaving the door open for her potential return.
On Instagram, user Barry Cameron shared a fan poster for the next Scream movie. The tagline reads "Kirby will return in Scream April 2024," triumphantly announcing her potential return. The design of the poster mimics the character posters from the new film, in which every Scream cast member posed with the Ghostface mask, implying that anybody could be revealed to be the killer. Check out the post below:
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Although Kirby did not return for Scream 2022, potentially because of the restricted COVID-19 protocols during filming, many legacy characters found their way back to Woodsboro. Panettiere's Scream 4 co-star Marley Shelton reprised the role of Deputy (now Sheriff) Judy Hicks alongside the franchise stalwarts Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, David Arquette as Dewey Riley, and Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers. The new characters in the film were also connected to the franchise, being family members of characters from the original films.
Given the fan demand, it doesn't seem outside of the realm of possibility that Panettiere will return to the Scream franchise. However, she hasn't acted since the end of her series Nashville in 2018, so the case may be that she doesn't wish to return to the industry. At any rate, if Scream gets greenlit for another sequel, as it most likely will given its stellar, franchise-best opening weekend, she will certainly be at the top of producers' list of people to call.
Source: Barry Cameron