When Scream VI hit theaters earlier this year, it marked the first time in Scream movie history that Ghostface and Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott did not share the screen. The absence of the famed final girl in the 2023 installment was due to the actress declining the offer to join the movie due to pay disputes. With a seventh Scream movie on the way, the franchise’s creator, Kevin Williamson, recently shared his thoughts on Campbell’s decision.
Kevin Williamson wrote the script for 1996’s Scream, along with the 1997 and 2011 sequels, and has often served as a producer throughout the franchise, including taking up the role of executive producer in 2023’s Scream VI. When the screenwriter guested on the Happy Horror Time podcast, he shared that he would like to see Neve Campbell return to play Sidney Prescott under one condition. In his words:
I know exactly where she’s coming from. I know her well. I love and adore her, and that’s what she did and it’s great for her. I love everyone involved with ‘Scream’ and all I can say is pay her the money. Yes, you heard it, everyone. That’s what I would do. I would give her the money. I’m sure there’s a number they can agree on that will make them both happy so hopefully one day they will figure that all out, and who knows. One day.
While on the podcast, Williamson threw in his support for Campbell for standing her ground when it came to her expectations for pay for the sixth Scream movie. Neve Campbell reprised Sidney Prescott alongside a few original Scream co-stars for the first time since Wes Craven’s death for 2022’s Scream. However, after what would become this year’s Scream VI was greenlit by Paramount, Campbell shared she wouldn’t be involved because she felt the offer presented to her “did not equate to the value” she has brought to the franchise.
Ultimately, Williamson sounds like he totally agrees that Neve Campbell simply deserves to be paid what she asks for and suggests that the movie studio does exactly that when it comes to future installments of Scream. We don’t know what numbers were on the table for Campbell when she left the money on the table, but Scream VI filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett did share interest in bringing back Sidney “down the road,” so perhaps one day the lead of the franchise will come back!
Following 2023’s ScreamVI, a seventh film in the franchise is currently in development with a new director taking over the job. Christopher Landon of the Happy Death Day movies and Freaky fame is helming the project. The cast has yet to be revealed for the next Scream movie, but here’s hoping Neve Campbell does strike a deal with Paramount this time that she’s comfortable with should the franchise want to bring back the original leading character once again.
Until we learn more about it, check out what upcoming horror movies are coming our way this spooky season.