Neve Campbell Won’t Return for ‘Scream 6’

Last year’s Scream was a big enough hit in theaters that it reignited interest in the meta-horror series — so much so that Paramount quickly put a sixth film in the series into development. The movie came together quickly and is expected in theaters in less than a year.

When it arrives, though, it will be missing one of the franchise’s biggest stars. Neve Campbell, who has been the central figure in Scream since the original movie in 1996, has chosen not to return for the film, despite the fact that her character survived the events of Scream. (Lord, that title is so frustrating when you’re writing an article like this. Scream 5!)

In a statement, Campbell claimed the reason she won’t be back is very simple: The producers did not offer her enough money:

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.

Scream was a fairly effective resurrection of the franchise, and it was a smart satire of legacyquels. But that only really works with a legacy cast. Campbell’s departure leaves Courteney Cox as the last “legacy” star from the original Scream standing in this sixth film. (Hayden Panettiere will also return in Scream 6, but her character was introduced in Scream 4 and did not appear in any of the first three movies.)

I guess a Scream could still work without Neve Campbell in it, but this will be the first movie to attempt such a thing. Just the concept seems kind of stream. Of course there was a Scream TV series that aired for three seasons without her or anyone else from the movies. So maybe the Scream brand is strong enough to endure no matter who is in it.

The next Scream is scheduled to open in theaters on March 31, 2023.