Neve Campbell catapulted to superstardom thanks to the Scream films after starring on her hit show, Party of Five. When the series picked back up in a soft-reboot with 2022’s Scream, she would make a triumphant return. However, when it came time for Scream VI, the actress butted heads with the studio over her pay and Sidney would sit out the New York trip. Christopher Landon is gearing up for his entry in the franchise, so it will now be seen if the face of the series will be able to rejoin the fray.
The screenwriter who started it all, Kevin Williamson, has revealed that when it came time to plan out Scream 5 and Scream VI, he was kicking around the idea of a multi-film arc for Sidney Prescott. Since the first showcased the plot reveal of her boyfriend, Billy Loomis, being one of the people behind the original spree of stabbings, there was an idea of Sidney’s love life being explored with constant paranoia in the two films.
According to ScreenRant,
“Williamson confirmed that Scream 5 and 6 would have continued to follow the love story of Sidney Prescott, in which she falls in love and is getting married when the Ghostface murders start up again. The films would have been about her marriage, her suspicion about her husband, her difficulty with trust given her past, and whether she was falling in love with a killer all over again. Williamson elaborated that Sidney would be questioning whether she was “Billy Loomis-ing herself all over again,” proving his betrayal of her continued to have a massive impact on her ability to trust and love in the years since Scream (1996). However, it’s unclear who Sidney was marrying in this version of events.”
The pivot to what the movies are now is likely viewed as the better call as Scream 2 already brought in an element of history repeating itself. Although fans would have certainly loved to see Campbell return along with the other OGs. As Scream 7 develops, Kevin Williamson recently showed support for her, saying the studio should ante up, “I totally respect her opinion…I know exactly where she’s coming from, I know her well. I love and adore her and that’s what she did. It’s right for her. I love everyone involved in Scream and all I can say is, pay her the money. That’s what I would do, I would give her the money. … I’m sure there’s a number they can agree on that will make them both happy so hopefully one day they will figure that all out.”