There are numerous ways that Scream 6 could potentially handle the absence of Neve Campbell’s Scream franchise heroine Sidney Prescott, but only a few of these options are likely to appease viewers. It is always tricky for a franchise to move on from its original main character. However, the transition to a new lead character is harder when the original star is still available and has chosen not to return for the latest sequel. For example, Neve Campbell could have played the iconic Final Girl Sidney Prescott in Scream 6, but the franchise’s producers failed to secure the star’s return during salary negotiations.
While Scream 6’s best legacy killer could still play a part in the sequel, the movie’s connection to the rest of the Scream franchise is undeniably impacted by Campbell’s absence. Sidney Prescott is the heart of the Scream series and has been since the original movie. As such, a Scream sequel without her will struggle to recapture the tone and atmosphere of earlier franchise outings. Furthermore, Scream 6 will need to address her absence at some stage, which will be tricky for the sequel. Drawing too much attention to Sidney’s exit will likely anger viewers, but ignoring the heroine of the Scream movies would be even worse for Scream 6.
5 Scream 6 Could Kill Sidney Off via Ghostface
While there could be potentially be some tragic twists in Scream 6, killing off Sidney before the sequel starts would be way too dark. Revealing that Scream 6’s Ghostface successfully hunted down and killed Sidney before the movie’s action started would be the worst option for the franchise this betrays the character, insults her legacy, and leaves viewers with no reason to care about the rest of the story. Although the Scream movies are beloved for their twisty mystery plotting, their meta humor, and their tense suspense sequences, Sidney’s personal journey is at the core of the slasher series and this twist would end it ignominiously.
4 Scream 6 Could Kill Sidney Off Without Ghostface
While Ghostface killing Sidney would be a terrible way to end her story, killing off the character via unrelated means would be almost as bad. If Scream 6 reveals that Sidney tragically died between movies, this would be a dark, unpleasant start to the sequel. The original Scream heroine was a survivor, so it would not be the right call for the franchise to simply kill her off with no fanfare. This would also ensure that later Scream movies could not bring back Sidney, which would be another major mistake for the franchise (especially if Scream 6 proves a box office success).
3 Scream 6 Could Just Never Mention Sidney
It would be quite shameless and audacious if Scream 6’s characters (who survived a massacre with Sidney a year before the sequel takes place) just never mentioned Campbell’s character. However, while it’s likely to seem surreal and weird, this could potentially work. Scream 6’s trailer proved that Gale and Kirby Reed will both return, but Gale is the only character who had a long-term relationship with Campbell’s character. Tara, Sam, and Kirby only met Sidney once, so it wouldn’t be too ridiculous for them to never bring her up. That said, Sidney is also the only character who defeated five versions of Ghostface, so this still could seem silly.
2 Scream 6 Could Honor Sidney’s Story
Even though Campbell won’t be appearing in Scream 6, that doesn’t mean that the sequel can’t at least give Sidney a happy ending. After all, she has got a love interest and two small kids according to Scream 5, so Scream 6 could feature a scene where Gale says that Sidney and her family are happily living on the other side of the country and totally free from Ghostface’s threats. After the sleeper hit success of Scream 5, it was an unfortunate surprise to see that Scream 6 wouldn’t be bringing back Sidney for the sequel. As such, the least that the franchise can do is honor the character.
Scream 5 even confirmed the unlikely fan theory that Sidney ended up in a romantic relationship with her Scream 3 love interest, so Scream 6 wouldn’t need to do much work to keep the character’s happy ending intact in this sequel. Scream 5 saw Sidney go out of her way to return to Woodsboro and defeat Ghostface even though she could have prioritized her family’s safety, and Scream 6 could see her take the opposite approach. While it is believable that Gale would have ended up in New York City after Scream 2022 killed off Dewey and ended any possibility of their reunion, Sidney would never move somewhere so densely populated.
1 Sidney Prescott Could Be Ghostface In Scream 6
It would be a fairly astounding achievement if the creators and cast of Scream 6 managed to hide Campbell’s return from fans until the sequel’s release. It would also be a wildly distasteful publicity stunt, as Campbell has spoken candidly about the impact that missing out on reprising the role of Sidney had on her since talks broke down with the Scream series star. However, there is a precedent for this sort of stunt casting. John Cusack opted not to return for Hot Tub Time Machine 2 due to the actor’s policy of avoiding sequels but did appear in a surprise cameo that arrived at the end of the unrated cut.
That said, Sidney’s return would be a much bigger shock. Scream 6’s poster colored Stu’s name differently from the rest of the franchise’s villains and victims, meaning Matthew Lillard’s potential return would at least make sense. This is particularly true after Scream 2022 featured a surprising cameo from Skeet Ulrich as Scream’s very much dead villain Billy Loomis. However, it is technically still possible that Scream 6’s hints about Stu’s return were all a misdirect and Campbell could be reprising her role in a cameo that has been hidden because Sidney is the killer this time around.
However, this would be arguably the most ill-advised route for the creators of Scream 6 to take. Not only would this twist turn the beloved Scream heroine into the sequel’s villain, but it would also have required the entire cast to partake in an elaborate display of kayfabe for a year. As such, Scream 6 should steer clear of this Scream franchise twist.