Neve Campbell is returning for 'Scream 7' after pay dispute, Melissa Barrera firing
Hello again, Sidney.
Neve Campbell is set to return to the "Scream" franchise for the upcoming seventh film after exiting the previous entry due to a salary dispute.
The actress confirmed the news on Instagram, where she shared a look at her copy of the "Scream 7" script.
"I'm so excited to announce this news!!!" she wrote. "Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!! It's always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the 'Scream' movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned. 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!!!"
Campbell also revealed that Kevin Williamson, the writer of the original "Scream" and its sequels "Scream 2" and "Scream 4," will direct "Scream 7."
The film will be written by Guy Busick, who co-wrote the franchise's most recent two installments with James Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is not returning as a credited writer because he is busy directing the film "Nuremberg," but he will serve as a producer. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will also produce after directing 2022's "Scream" and 2023's "Scream VI."
Melissa Barrerais 'at peace' after being fired from 'Scream 7' over Israel-Hamas posts
"I've dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm," Campbell said. "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. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years."
She added, "To the amazing 'Scream' fans, I hope you are as excited as I am."
In his own Instagram post, Williamson said he is "overcome with gratitude and excitement" about the film. "Scream 7" will be only the second movie that Williamson has directed following 1999's "Teaching Mrs. Tingle." He is also known for creating TV shows like "Dawson's Creek."
"I can't wait to take this journey with Neve and the entire 'Scream' family as we bring back Sidney Prescott in the next chapter of the 'Scream' franchise," Williamson wrote. "Thank you to all the 'Scream' fans. You are the gift that keeps giving."
Campbell starred as Sidney Prescott in the first five "Scream" films from 1996 to 2022 but declined to return for 2023's "Scream VI." In 2022, she shared in a statement to Variety that she felt the salary offer presented to her for the sequel "did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."
Melissa Barreraaddresses 'Scream 7' firing over posts on Israel-Hamas war: 'Silence is not an option'
"Scream VI" was the follow-up to a 2022 reboot, simply titled "Scream," which mixed the horror franchise's returning stars with a new cast of characters. Campbell took on a supporting role in this fifth film, which centered around a new hero, Sam (Melissa Barrera) and her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega).
Barrera was expected to return for "Scream 7" but was fired following social media posts in which she was critical of Israel and supportive of Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war. A spokesperson for production company Spyglass Media Group told USA TODAY it has "zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech." Ortega is also not returning for "Scream 7."
In December, original "Scream 7" director Christopher Landon announced he, too, was leaving the project after Barrera's firing. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he described the gig as a "dream job that turned into a nightmare."
Barrera told Rolling Stone in an interview published in January that she is "at peace" after her "Scream" firing.
"I'm not the first person that’s happened to, but it was shocking," Barrera said. "I don't even know what to say. I think everything that happened was very transparent, on both sides, and I know who I am, and I know that what I said always came from a place of love and a place of humanity and a place of human rights and a place of freedom for people, which shouldn’t be controversial. It shouldn't be up for debate."
"The people who know me in my family know the truth about me and where I stand, and I think most people in the world also do," she added.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY