In a dramatic turn of events, Neve Campbell is returning to the world of Scream, the latest twist for a franchise that just several months ago appeared to be on the ropes. Campbell’s return is particularly noteworthy, as she sat out Scream VI over a salary dispute with producer Spyglass.
Campbell announced on Instagram that in addition to her return, franchise godfather Kevin Williamson will direct. Williamson is the creator of the franchise, penning the script to Wes Craven’s original, as well as Scream 2 and Scream 4. Guy Busick, who wrote 2022’s Scream and Scream VI, will take over writing duties from James Vanderbilt, who is busy directing the feature Nuremberg.
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The seventh installment of Scream has faced multiple setbacks, including losing star Jenna Ortega, the high profile firing of star Melissa Barrera, and the exit of director Christopher Landon.
The addition of Campbell adds new life to the feature, as her character Sidney Prescott has been the the series’ heartbeat since the first installment. In 2022, when announcing talks had broken down over pay, she said in a statement, “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.”
Filmmaking trio Radio Silence revitalized the franchise with 2022’s Scream, which featured Campbell. Fourteen months later they released Scream VI, which broke the series’ record for biggest opening weekend with a $44.5 million opening. Scream VI starred Scream survivors Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega, along with returning franchise stars Hayden Panettiere and Courteney Cox. Radio Silence will executive produce this film, with producers including Vanderbilt and alongside his Project X Entertainment partners William Sherak and Paul Neinstein.
Late filmmaker Wes Craven directed the first four Scream features, with the first debuting in 1996 and skewering some of the same horror genre tropes Craven helped introduce during his storied career. The fifth installment in 2022 picked up the baton as the first Scream movie since Craven’s death in 2015 and proved it could thrive for a new generation of viewers.
Williamson, who directed the 1999 feature Teaching Mrs. Tingle, is repped by CAA and Felker Toczek. Busick, who co-wrote the upcoming Radio Silence horror feature Abigail, is repped by Gotham Group, A3 Artists Agency and Jackoway Austen. Campbell is repped by Gersh, Anonymous Content and attorneys Johnson Shapiro.
