Neve Campbell shocked the horror community earlier this year when she announced that she had stepped away from the upcoming meta slasher sequel Scream 6 over a salary dispute with the studio. Campbell, 48, has appeared in all five Scream movies to date - Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), and Scream (2022), also known as Scream 5. But she will not be appearing in next year’s Scream 6. Here is a reminder of her full statement, as per Deadline: “Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film,” the actress said. “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," she continued. “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.” Following her exit, Campbell received overwhelming support from Scream co-stars, such as Emma Roberts, Matthew Lillard, and David Arquette, who play Jill Roberts, Stu Macher, and Dewey Riley in the Scream movies. Campbell also recently addressed rumors that she would be appearing in the sixth installment after all, confirming that this would not be the case. She said: “There were plans for Sidney, and they are no longer, unfortunately. I’m sure they’ll make a good movie.” Comicbook.com reported. In more recent weeks, Campbell talked about how that if she were a man, she would not have been undervalued working on Scream 6. But now, the “Scream Queen” has admitted that salary problems date as far back as Scream 5. In an interview with Forbes, Campbell discussed the 2022 Scream sequel, saying that it “didn’t feel right”. Here’s what she said in full: “Be aware of your value. Don’t under-play yourself, Also, be realistic but stand up for yourself. I think it is time for us to say ‘No, it’s not okay. This doesn’t feel right’. Even on the last [Scream] film, I took a number and granted, it was Covid and we didn’t know what the world was going to look like and I didn’t know if I was going to work again, but I did the project for something that did not feel right to me and it didn’t feel good! If we keep under-valuing ourselves or letting people sort of step on us, it’s not going to be good for your self-worth and it’s certainly not going to be good for the way people perceive you. So, I think it’s just really important to respect oneself and to demand respect.” Campbell continues, explaining how difficult it was exiting Scream 6: “It was a hard decision. Obviously, I love the franchise. I love the movies. I loved these new directors and the cast, so it was a difficult decision to make but I felt for myself that it was the right one” Whether or not Campbell will reprise her role as Sidney Prescott in a future Scream movie remains to be seen. But Scream 6 has wrapped, and we’ll just have to wait to see how the filmmakers have handled Campbell’s absence. The official synopsis for the upcoming sequel is as follows: “[Scream 6] continues with the four survivors of the Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.” The film will take place in New York City and will reportedly be set during the winter, and will see the return of all surviving characters from Scream 5 (except for Campbell, of course). Scream 6 stars Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed), Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks), Newcomers are Dermot Mulroney, Henry Czerny, Tony Revolori, Jack Champion, Devyn Nekoda, Liana Liberato, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving in undisclosed roles. Scream 6 will be released in theaters on March 31, 2023.
