Neva Campbell she was the star of the first five parts of “Scream” (1996-2022). However, she did not appear in his sixth installment (2023) because she was not satisfied with the salary offered to her.
“As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard throughout my career to assert my worth, especially when it comes to ‘Scream,'” she said of the reasons for her decision. – “I think the offer made to me did not translate into the value I brought to the series.”
“The decision to leave was a very difficult one. To all ‘Scream’ fans: I love you. You have always been incredibly supportive of me. I am grateful to you and everything this series has given me over the last 25 years,” the actress added in 2022.
Campbell also didn’t plan to appear in the seventh horror film about a killer with a distinctive mask.
However, the production encountered major problems. First it lost its stars, that is Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. Later he also resigned from his position Christopher Landondirector and screenwriter.
Some time ago, in an interview with Indiewire, Campbell admitted that the series’ problems sadden her. She hoped then that the producers would make the best decisions possible. “I love this series. I love it because of Wes (Craven – the director of the first four films, who died in 2015). I love it for all the people involved with it, including the new cast members. I hope it won’t all fall apart,” she said.
At one point, a question was asked whether the actress would consider returning to “Scream”. “If the right circumstances happened? Yes,” she replied. She immediately added that she still believed that the offer made to her for the sixth part of the series was insulting, considering the fact that she had been the face of the series for over a quarter of a century. “We’ll see,” she said.
Now we know that the star and producers have reached an agreement and Campbell will be seen in the seventh installment of “Scream”. The actress announced this on her official Instagram account.
“I’m thrilled to announce this. Sidney Prescott is back. Playing her in the Scream franchise has always been an honor. My appreciation for these films and what they mean to me has never waned. I’m so proud to announce that I was very politely asked to return to the character. I’m even more happy to be a part of these films alongside the master of horror, Wes Craven, and then Matt and Tyler. I always dreamed of how great it would be if one of these films directed by Kevin Williamson. And now it’s going to happen. He will direct ‘Scream 7’! It was always his baby and he dreamed up this world. Kevin is not only an inspiration to me as an artist, but also a friend for years. I hope that the fans of the series are as excited as I am,” the actress admitted.
Kevin Williamson, whom Campbell mentioned, was the author of the script for the first part of “Scream”, which revolutionized the slasher genre in 1996. In the following years, he created scripts for such films as “The Nightmare of Last Summer”, “Them” and “How to finish off Mrs. T.?” The latter title was his directorial debut. He also produced a sequel to “Scream” and its fourth part. However, he was never behind the camera for this series.
“It’s been almost 30 years since my first script, ‘Scream,’ was directed by the legendary Wes Craven. I could never have predicted how big this franchise would become, or that I would be directing its seventh installment,” Williamson noted on social media.
The script for “Scream VII” will be written by Guy Busick, co-author of the two previous installments of the series.