Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, along with screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick – the same creative team that were behind the most recent Scream sequel – wanted to bring franchise star Neve Campbell back for the next sequel (which we’re calling Scream 6 for now)… but as we reported last week, the number crunchers behind the scenes decided to make her an offer she felt was too low. Campbell said, “Sadly, I won’t be making the next Scream film. 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. 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.” Since Campbell made her announcement, several of her franchise co-stars have reacted to the news, including Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, David Arquette, and Jasmin Savoy-Brown.
During a chat on Twitter Spaces, Lillard (who played Stu in the original Scream) said,
Did Tom Cruise take less money for [Top Gun: Maverick]? F*ck no, dude. So, why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn’t you pay her more as the series goes on? Was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a shit ton of money? Yes. Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she’s done in five movies of a franchise? Yes, because she’s a female lead of one of the most successful horror franchises.”
Kennedy, who played Randy in the first two Scream films (and made a video cameo in Scream 3), commented on his YouTube channel:
Hollywood, this is a clear example of how twisted the system is. Sidney Prescott is the center of Scream. Neve Campbell is the face of Scream. Ghostface chasing her throughout the whole franchise … Neve is the final girl. It’s crazy that the people behind the scenes are not paying the money to literally the face of the franchise. It’s people who weren’t involved from the get-go. This is everything that’s wrong with the business.”
Arquette, who played Dewey in all five of the previous films, told ComicBook.com,
I’d love for her to be a part of it. A Scream movie without Sidney is kind of unfortunate, but I understand her decision. It’s all a business in a way, they have to balance all these elements to fit a budget and produce a film. I get it, she’s still alive! She [can] absolutely be in future ones, but I think it’s up to fans to call for that in the future. […] That is sudden, it’s a business, though. I respect her decision, for sure.”
And Jasmin Savoy Brown, who played Randy’s niece Mindy in the new Scream and will be reprising the role in Scream 6, told Variety,
I absolutely respect her for that. I think that it’s hard to be a woman in this industry and in any industry at all. If any person, but especially any woman, feels that she deserves more — whether that’s a financial situation with work, out of a relationship, out of fill in the blank — if she can walk away, I support that.”
Brown went on to assure Scream fans,
The script is fantastic and the franchise (will) go on in a beautiful way.”
Scream 6 is currently filming in Montreal and is set to reach theatres on March 31, 2023. How do you feel about Neve Campbell having to step away from the franchise over a pay dispute? Share your thoughts on this by leaving a comment below.