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Neve Campbell Exits ‘Scream’ Franchise After Rejecting Offer: It ‘Did Not Equate to the Value I Have Brought’

Neve Campbell Will Not Return for 'Scream 6' After Rejecting Offer
Neve Campbell. Broadimage/Shutterstock

Neve Campbell confirmed that she will not be reprising the role of Sidney Prescott in the upcoming Scream 6 film.

Related: ‘Scream 6’ Is Happening: Everything to Know About the Upcoming Horror Sequel

“Sadly, I won’t be making the next Scream film,” Campbell, 48, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Monday, June 6. “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.”

The actress, who rose to stardom after joining Scream in 1996, noted that it was a “very difficult decision to move on” from the slasher franchise. “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,” she concluded.

In response to the shocking departure, fans took to social media to weigh in on the future of Scream. “Hate this for me, a Sidney Prescott/Neve Campbell stan, but love this for her because imagine not valuing what she brings to the SCREAM franchise??” a social media user tweeted.

A Twitter account for the horror podcast “Epic Film Guys” questioned how Scream would live on without its original lead. “While I’m still optimistic about the future of the franchise, hearing they lowballed the person that literally carried this entire franchise on her back, is very disheartening. Gutted,” they wrote.

Amid rumors that Campbell hinted at her exit to fans at a convention over the weekend, some commentators were curious what that meant for Scream 6. “How many more times does sidney need to fight, her ‘I’ll survive, I always do’ line was a perfect ending for her. a cameo or so would be perfect but let sidney rest 😭,” a third person wrote via Twitter ahead of the news.

For some audience members, writing off Sidney Prescott would allow for the character to find peace on screen. “If Neve isn’t coming back to Scream 6, I am okay with that. That raises the chances that Sidney will live, and be able to live her life as a woman not defined by her trauma,” a Twitter user shared on the social media platform.

Related: 'Scream' Cast: Where Are They Now?

The Canada native played Sidney Prescott in the original Scream films, which premiered between 1996 to 2011. The Party of Five alum joined fellow OG stars Courteney Cox and David Arquette in the fifth installment that debuted earlier this year.

Campbell previously revealed that she was hesitant about reprising her role without Wes Craven‘s involvement. The franchise’s creator died in August 2015 from brain cancer at age 76.

“I had been apprehensive because, you know, our director, our incredible director Wes Craven passed away, and I wasn’t sure about doing a film without him.” she said on The Talk in October 2020. “But the new directors came to me with this beautiful letter saying that they’ve become directors and love film because of these films, and because of Wes, and they really want to be true to his story and his journey with these films. So, I was really happy to hear that.”

Related: Horror Movie Stars: Where Are They Now?

Scream 5, which debuted in January, was directed by filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Kevin Williamson, who wrote and produced several of the Scream movies, joined the team as an executive producer. The script was written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick.

Earlier this year, Campbell reflected on the “emotional” return to the franchise. “I certainly felt Wes’s absence, and at the same time, I clearly felt his presence. Every time I walk on these movies I feel his presence, and his power, and his input, and his influence, and everything he did to make these movies amazing,” she told Entertainment Weekly the same month Scream 5 premiered. “I think Courteney, David, and I each individually had a good cry when we walked onto that set. I mean, these movies meant a lot. The very first experience was so much fun and meant so much to all of us in many ways. So, yeah, everything came flooding back.”

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