The OG Scream final girl is back.
Neve Campbell took to Instagram to announce that she would be returning to the franchise in the next installment, Scream 7, with original writer Kevin Williamson at the helm. But fans are already expressing their disappointment following the production company’s decision to fire planned lead Melissa Barrera after she spoke out against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“I’m so excited to announce this news!!!” Campbell wrote, “Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!!”
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In 2022, Campbell announced that she would not be appearing in Scream 6, the last installment of the franchise, because the amount of money she was offered “did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.” Well, things seem to have changed, according to her Instagram post.
“I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!” she gushed.
Many fans were disappointed that Campbell hadn’t been paid whatever amount she was asking for, as her character Sidney Prescott has been at the center of the franchise’s story from the start. And she received a huge amount of support at the time for advocating for herself and her monetary value as a working actress in Hollywood.
“As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream,” she said in a statement at the time.
No word yet on how the money part of this worked out for Campbell, but she shared how excited she is to be working with Williamson as director and to reprise the role.
“I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm,” she continued in the post. “And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct Scream 7! This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world.”
The Scream franchise faced renewed controversy last November when Scream 6 actress Melissa Barrera was dropped from the film series for voicing her support for Palestine on social media. Fans started an online petition to boycott Scream 7 over Barrera's firing, and Jenna Ortega also exited the franchise the very next day, although she's since said that it was due to scheduling conflicts with Wednesday.
Campbell's return could to bring some angry fans back to the franchise, but it's hard to say how much that will work if you take a look at the comments under Campbell's post. One top comment reads, “This is actually disappointing considering the studios actions towards Melissa,” while others accused her of “coming back only for the money.”
“It’s really upsetting that you’re choosing to come back when you’re working for a company that supports genocide and has decided to fire ITS LEAD because she stood up against genocide,” another commenter wrote. “You’re are setting a very bad example and I will not be watching this film.”
She may have to address that sentiment as time goes on, but for now Campbell seems to be ignoring the racket as she prepares to get back to her most well-known character.
“To the amazing Scream fans,” she wrote, “I hope you are as excited as I am.”
