While it is exciting to see contemporary scream queen Samara Weaving join the cast of Scream 6, this decision still feels like an attempt to detract from the backlash over Scream series star Neve Campbell not returning for the sequel after the success of Scream 2022. The long-awaited Scream 2022 was a huge hit with audiences and critics. The belated sequel earned over $140 million, proving that the passing of iconic horror helmer Wes Craven didn’t necessarily spell an end to the acclaimed slasher series.
However, despite the financial success of Scream 2022, the movie’s upcoming sequel failed to meet franchise heroine Neve Campbell’s salary expectations during contract negotiations. As a result, Campbell’s iconic Final Girl Sidney Prescott will not return in Scream 6, something that has prompted a lot of backlash from fans of the series online. The recent casting of Samara Weaving in the sequel would ordinarily be a promising development, but these circumstances mar this otherwise-exciting news.
Despite Scream 2022’s returning directorial team Radio Silence helming Weaving’s breakthrough 2019 smash Ready Or Not, the actor’s addition to the cast alone isn’t enough to make up for Campbell’s absence. Casting one of horror’s preeminent leading ladies won’t necessarily be sufficient to win back fans alienated by the absence of Sidney Prescott, whose story tied together the Scream series so far. The return of Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed in Scream 6 proves that the sequel will still be bringing back elements of earlier installments in the franchise, which in turn means that Sidney Prescott’s non-involvement in the storyline will be noticeable, even with Weaving joining the lineup and the actor's star power papering over Campbell's absence.
Scream 6’s Samara Weaving Casting Is A Cheap Trick
The fact that Weaving’s casting was announced after Campbell’s controversial exit makes her addition to Scream 6 feel like an attempt to replace the iconic Final Girl, something that is re-affirmed by Weaving’s status as a popular horror heroine in recent years. However, despite Weaving appearing in Ready Or Not, the two Babysitter movies, Mayhem, and now Scream 6, the actor won’t be able to replace Sidney thanks to the pivotal role that Campbell's character played in shaping the series so far. The Scream franchise’s obsession with Sidney meant that even Scream 2022, which introduced an entirely new generation of characters, ended up focusing on her return when it came time for the sequel’s barnstorming finale.
Similarly, the fact that Panettiere’s Scream 4 character is returning in Scream 6—alongside most of Scream 2022’s survivors and the franchise stalwart Courtney Cox—makes it clear that the series isn’t attempting a clean break. Telling the story of a Scream sequel without Sidney, the woman around whom the entire series to date has centered, is a tall order for any filmmaker. Adding Weaving to the Scream 2022 sequel's cast, while exciting enough on its own merits, won’t be enough to distract Scream 6 viewers from the absence of the Scream franchise’s most iconic horror heroine.