Despite returning for the latest franchise outing, Neve Campbell has revealed she's not returning as Sidney Prescott for Scream 6. Campbell made her return to the fan-favorite slasher horror franchise alongside Roger L. Jackson as the voice of Ghostface, Marley Shelton as Sheriff Judy Hicks, Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, David Arquette as Dewey Riley and Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis. Scream was helmed by Radio Silence duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, best known for the hit horror-comedy Ready or Not.
Exact plot details for Scream 6 are being kept under wraps, but the film is said to follow the survivors of this year's Scream as they move away from Woodsboro, only to have the violent terror of Ghostface follow them. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are confirmed to be returning to the helm of the sequel alongside fresh franchise faces Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega. While previous stars Courteney Cox and Hayden Panettiere are confirmed to be returning for Scream 6, it appears one franchise vet won't be returning for the sequel.
Deadline has brought word that Neve Campbell will not be reprising her role of Sidney Prescott for Scream 6. The franchise vet revealed she turned down the opportunity to return for the upcoming horror sequel due to feeling underwhelmed by the payment offered by producers. See what Campbell said below:
“Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film. As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. 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."
Though Campbell first rose to stardom with her work in Party of Five and The Craft, her role as Sidney Prescott in the original Scream movie is generally considered her most celebrated role. Given Sidney largely acted as the face of the Scream franchise alongside that of the Ghostface mask, it's understandable she would feel deserving of a paycheck reflective of that. With the most recent Scream being produced on a modest budget of $24 million, the smallest for the franchise since Scream 2, it begs the question of how much of the film's budget went towards Campbell and whether Paramount has lowered the budget for the new film, as well as why the producers wouldn't try their hardest to bring her back.
While fans of the franchise may be disappointed at her absence in the new film, the lack of Sidney Prescott in Scream 6 may not be the worst thing for the horror sequel. The latest Scream largely worked as a passing of the torch for the series with Melissa Barrera's Sam and Jenna Ortega's Tara effectively becoming the new main protagonists while Dermot Mulroney most recently signed on as a cop character, effectively replacing David Arquette's Dewey following his demise in the last film. With Scream 6 eyeing a Summer 2022 production start date ahead of a March 2023 release, it seems unlikely Campbell will be persuaded to return in time for filming, making Courteney Cox the longest-running star of the franchise.
Source: Deadline