Sidney Prescott actress Neve Campbell sadly isn’t returning for Scream 6, but this actually presents the franchise sequel with a crucial opportunity. Following the critical and box office success of Scream (2022), the franchise is coming back for another horror meta-sequel in 2023. However, this time the battle against Ghostface won’t be supported by the seemingly immortal Sidney Prescott, which marks the first time Neve Campbell’s character will be missing from the Scream franchise.
Premiering over a decade after Scream 4 (2011), Scream 5 revived the franchise following the passing of iconic director Wes Craven. The “re-quel,” as it’s referred to within the film, followed a group of Woodsboro teens who were now the targets of a new wave of Ghostface killings, with the common underlying factor of the victims being their relations to the original 1996 murder spree. Paying tribute to Scream’s legacy characters, new final girl Sam Carpenter is revealed to be the daughter of Ghostface killer Billy Loomis, Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin are the niece and nephew of horror expert Randy Meeks, and Wes Hicks is the son is Scream 4’s Judy Hicks. Before the identities of the Ghostfaces are revealed, the teens are assisted by Scream icons Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley.
Paramount quickly greenlit Scream 6 after the 2022 sequel’s success, gradually revealing that several survivors would be returning for another Ghostface killing spree. When Scream 6 premieres in March 2023, Gale Weathers, Kirby Reed, Sam Carpenter, Tara Carpenter, and the Meeks-Martin twins will be back as they grieve their friends and try to begin normal lives after the most recent Ghostface massacre. However, even though the Scream franchise is now losing arguably its greatest asset in Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, this actually presents a real opportunity for the series. Not only can the series avoid undoing Sidney's already-perfect character arc, but it can also allow Scream to move beyond an endless parade of legacy characters. As such, Scream 6 can potentially be one of the most interesting entries yet.
Why Neve Campbell Isn’t Returning For Scream 6
Neve Campbell revealed that she will not be returning for Scream 6, which she described as being due to an offer that didn’t reflect her value to the franchise. Whether this is more focused on salary negotiations, creative differences, or screentime isn’t entirely clear, but it doesn’t bode well for how the franchise is treating its legacy characters. A Scream movie without Sidney Prescott seems unimaginable, with her character long serving as the face of the franchise. However, while Campbell does deserve an offer that equates to her valuable role in Scream, her absence actually signals an important opportunity that the Scream franchise can finally seize.
Sidney Already Got Her Happy Ending
While Scream could always bring back Sidney to fight Ghostface, Neve Campbell’s character had a satisfying ending in Scream 5. When the character was first reintroduced, she had moved away from Woodsboro and begun a family with Scream 3’s Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey). She only came back to battle Ghostface in Scream 5 because she felt obligated to help out the new generation of Woodsboro teens, not because the killers were actively seeking her out again. Scream 5 felt like a fork in the road for Sidney, where she could choose to help the new teens but also effectively pass off the torch to the new characters. Sidney has been tormented by Ghostfaces since 1996 and nearly died half a dozen times, so Scream 6's Woodsboro-leaving story can finally be the time when the franchise’s final girl catches a break. This isn’t to say that Sidney could never return, as Neve Campbell may receive a better offer for another sequel down the line, but that if her character retires, it’s at least with the notion that she has a happy life outside of Woodsboro.
Scream Can Finally Prove Itself Beyond The Legacy Characters
All five of Scream’s movies have relied on the familiar appeal of the legacy characters, primarily Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), and Dewey Riley (David Arquette). Since Dewey was killed by Ghostface in Scream 5 and Sidney won’t be back for Scream 6, the 2023 sequel will only have one major legacy character in its main cast. One of the biggest criticisms of Scream 5 was the fact that it was primarily focused on the new generation of Woodsboro teens, but couldn't properly balance the bearing of the returning legacy characters. After 25 years of the franchise, Scream 5 felt like the best time to finally pass off the torch to the younger cast and free the legacy characters of Ghostface for good.
While Sidney will eternally be considered the face of the franchise, Scream 5 did find a new replacement in her character with Melissa Barrera’s Sam Carpenter, who was still connected to the original as the secret daughter of Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis. Additionally, Scream 5 survivors Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin continue the legacy of the character Randy Meeks as his niece and nephew, thus paying respect to the importance of the original figures alive while moving forward with a capable new generation. While Gale Weathers and Scream 4’s Kirby Reed will be returning for Scream 6, the sequel offers the opportunity to move past these characters and prove the franchise doesn’t need to rely on familiar faces for success.
Scream 6 Has Bigger Problems Than Sidney’s Absence
Neve Campbell’s Scream 6 exit may prove to be an obstacle for certain aspects of the sequel, but it has much bigger worries. Scream 5 arrived a decade after Scream 4 and 25 years after Scream (1996), giving it enough time to introduce a novel commentary on Hollywood trends, "elevated horror," franchise critiques, and meta genre satire that warrant its execution. The essence of Scream is its meta-analysis of Hollywood, horror, and society, so its sequels work best when there’s something new to add to the conversation. Scream 6 was greenlit almost immediately after Scream 5 proved to be a success at the box office, suggesting it could be more of an opportunity to profit on revived interest than a genuinely deserved sequel. Scream 6's rushed release means it's unlikely to have much more to say about the industry so soon after Scream 5, which means the creative satire of the 2023 sequel can prove to be its most significant hurdle. Sidney would have added a positive familiarity to Scream 6 and perhaps boosted its success, but it makes no difference if the underlying story of the sequel isn’t justified.