The horror genre has been in a renaissance for years now, to the delight of the fandom. And as a result, the best horror movies have returned to theaters thanks to legacy-quels like 2022’s Scream. And some original Scream stars have recently come out in support of Neve Campbell’s decision to leave the upcoming sixth movie.
After the massive success of the 2022 Scream movie, another sequel was quickly greenlit by the powers that be at Paramount. But that sequel won’t feature the beloved hero Sidney Prescott, with Neve Campbell revealing that she made the decision over a disagreement about her pay. Now some of her co-stars have come out in support of the Craft icon. Stu actor Matthew Lillard addressed the pay dispute on Twitter via the Midnight Movie Club saying:
Did Tom Cruise take less money from Top Gun Maverick? Fuck no dude. So why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn't you pay her more as the series goes on? And was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a shit ton of money? Yes. Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she's done in five movies of a franchise? Yes, because she's a female lead of one of the most successful horror franchises.
Well, there you have it. As a franchise, Scream has made over $700 million at the box office, with more coming with the developing sixth slasher. All of those movies feature Neve Campbell’s beloved performances as Sidney Prescott. As such, it’s hard to imagine turning down the House of Cards alum during negotiations. Because what is a Scream movie without its final girl?
And Matthew Lillard isn’t the only Scream OG who recently responded to Neve Campbell dropping out of the upcoming sixth movie. Jamie Kennedy aka Randy also made an entire YouTube video about this shake-up, getting honest with the generations of Scream fans in the process. He maintained the decision was made by some of the folks newer to the property, saying:
Sidney Prescott is the center of Scream. Neve Campbell is the face of Scream. Ghostface chasing her throughout the whole franchise. That archetypal face and her. [...] It's the new people behind the scenes who are literally not paying the face of the franchise. It's from the people who weren't involved from the get-go. This is everything wrong with the business.
As Jamie Kennedy points out, Neve Campbell’s name is synonymous with her role as Sidney Prescott in Scream. Aside from Ghostface she is literally the face of the slasher franchise. Which is why so many moviegoers are devastated over the news that Campbell won’t appear in the upcoming Scream 6 movie.
Neve Campbell issued a statement about dropping out of Scream 6, offering an honest reason why she decided not to reprise her role this time around. While she was originally holding out based on the script, the disagreement ultimately happened as a result of the pay dispute. The statement reads:
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. It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.
Since David Arquette’s character Dewey was killed off in the last movie, now it seems like Courteney Cox might be the only OG character to appear in Scream 6. The cast is currently coming together, with Hayden Panettiere from Scream 4 returning as Kirby Reed. Although it’s hard to imagine what the slasher franchise might look like with its final girl Sidney.
Scream 6 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on March 31st, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
