Scream's Neve Campbell Won't Return For Sixth Movie, Explains Unfortunate Reason Why She's Sitting This Ghostface Story Out

Neve Campbell as Sidney in Scream
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

The horror genre is built on long-running franchises, and the various Scream Queen who help to occupy those worlds. Case in point: Scream, and the iconic performances that Neve Campbell has given throughout the first five horror movies. But Campbell unfortunately won't be returning for Scream 6, and we know why she chose not to face off against Ghostface again.

The disappointing news that Neve Campbell won't be in Scream 6 broke recently thanks to Deadline, with the 48 year-old actress sharing the reasons behind her decision. As the Craft icon put it,

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.

Well, there you have it. It looks like Neve Campbell ultimately isn't back for Scream 6 because of a payment dispute. Considering how much money the previous five movies have made at the box office, it's certainly understandable that the iconic actress would want to be paid appropriately. But in the end she seemingly couldn't come to an agreement with the powers that be at Paramount Pictures. 

This news is sure to be heartbreaking for the generations of Scream fans out there. It's hard to imagine what the slasher property looks like without Neve Campbell, who has kicked ass and survived five grisly confrontations with Ghostface. And while her role wasn't huge in the most recent movie, Sidney Prescott's inclusion definitely brought energy to the movie and helped get moviegoers in theaters. And since Dewey was killed in Scream 5, that means that Courteney Cox's Gale is seemingly the only OG who could appear in the developing sixth movie.

After the box office and critical success of 2022's Scream, Paramount Pictures quickly green lit another sequel from Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Neve Campbell never promised she'd be back, previously revealing she was waiting on variables like the script. But it turns out that her reason for not returning has more to do with the business side of the film industry. 

The cast of Scream 6 has been slowly coming together, starting with the return of the two surviving sets of siblings played by Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding. Scream 4's Hayden Panettiere is set to return to the franchise for the first time as Kirby Reed, while newcomer Dermot Mulroney was recently announced as the movie's first newcomer. 

Scream 6 is currently expected to arrive in theaters March 31st, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.