The horror gene is built on its long-running franchises, and Wes Craven's Scream movies are a part of film history. The genre-bending property changed slashers forever, so the generations of fans were thrilled to hear that Scream 5 was coming to theaters. With Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and
Tyler Gillett to direct, the public has been eager to find out if Neve Campbell would be returning as final girl Sidney Prescott. And now the verdict is finally in.
Shortly after Scream 5 was announced to be in active development, Neve Campbell revealed that she was in talks with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and
Tyler Gillett to reprise her role as the franchise's protagonist. And while the cast was slowly assembled, there's been no official word... until now. Scream fans rejoice, because Campbell is confirmed to be appearing in the next Scream sequel. And she confirmed the news with a fun social media post.
This news comes to us from the official social media of Neve Campbell herself, sharing the news to the public that she would indeed be returning for another entry in the beloved slasher property. Campbell be joining OG stars David Arquette and Courteney Cox who are back playing Dewey and Gale respectively. Scream 5's directors have also been bringing in newcomers for the next sequel, the first since Wes Craven's death.
News of Neve Campbell's involvement in Scream 5 should delight the many fans out there, and lend some credibility to the developing sequel. The late horror legend Wes Craven helmed the previous four installments, so there are sure to be some naysayers out there. But Campbell has already praised Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's work on the project, and now the trio of original stars are all committed to appear. Ready or Not had the same mixture of comedy and horror that Scream is known for, so hardcore fans of the genre may be intrigued to see what they'll do with Craven's franchise.
Joining Neve Campbell and her original Scream co-stars are some new faces namely In the Heights' Jenna Ortega, The Boys' Jack Quaid, and You's Melissa Barrera. Some fans are also campaigning to see the return of Hayden Panettiere's Kirby, who debuted in Scream 4. The character's death was left somewhat ambiguous, and it would be one of the only other survivors who could return. After all, Ghostface usually kills most of each movie's cast.
It should be interesting to see how Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott changes in Scream 5. Each new sequel shows different sides of the protagonist, and how her trauma and myriad near death experiences affected her psyche. The last sequel saw her own niece as the mastermind and killer, which would presumably further isolate the final girl.
The Scream franchise most recently lived on television, with a two season show in MTV and a one season anthology on VH1. Wes Craven died in 2015 when the show was in production, and Scream 5 will mark the first time another filmmaker is bringing the franchise to theaters. The pressure is on, but there's definitely some hype around the project.
Scream 5 is currently expected to hit theaters on January 14th 2022. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.
