Scream 7 is preparing to go into production sometime in 2024, after recovering from a series of issues. These include Melissa Barrera's firing, Jenna Ortega's departure due to scheduling issues, and Christopher Landon's exit as director. Neve Campbell has signed on to portray Sidney Prescott, after sitting out Scream 6 due to a pay dispute. The series' original creator, Kevin Williamson, is also on board to direct the upcoming sequel. Information came out this week that details the original plan for Sidney in Scream 6 before she dropped out of the project. It seems like this potential storyline was probably best left alone, as it might have affected the plan for Scream 7.
Sidney Prescott was the original final girl in the Scream franchise, and the focus was on her for the first four movies. When Sidney returned in Scream (2022), she was used sparingly but effectively. She returned to Woodsboro to avenge Dewey's death, and passed the torch to the new generation of final girls, Sam and Tara Carpenter. However, the plan for Sidney in Scream 6 was less than encouraging, and didn't feel like a fitting way to bring her back into the fold.
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What Was the Original Plan for Sidney in Scream 6?
Before Neve Campbell's decision not to return in Scream 6, her character, Sidney Prescott, was involved in the events in New York City in the original Scream 6 script. The early draft appeared in an article by Rodrigo Kurtz on the Scream fan website, Hello Sidney, and reveals some interesting details about Sidney's planned role in the sequel.
James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick wrote the early draft under the name Scream Again. It was completed on February 11, 2022, before the pay dispute between Campbell and Spyglass Media arose. In the story, when the attacks start up again, Sidney and her family are residing in suburban Seattle. According to Kurtz' article:
Sidney’s first appearance in ‘Scream VI’ would have occurred after Dr. Stone’s murder, who in this version is watching Stab 2. It then cuts to Sidney dropping her three daughters (10, 8 and 4 years old) off at school. The oldest is named Hannah. Sid learns about Ghost Face in New York from a school mom and rushes home to pack.
It turns out that the original plan was for Patrick Dempsey's storyline to feature in Scream 6, with his character, Mark Kincaid (Sidney's husband) appearing in the early script for the sequel. It reveals he was now the sheriff of the small town, and was keen for Sidney to avoid getting involved in the New York Ghostface murder spree:
You spent the last twenty-five years running away from this stuff, and now you want to run towards it?
Sidney ignores Mark's pleas, and arrives in New York after Anika’s tragic death. She goes along to a storage warehouse (which becomes the shrine in the finished movie) with the gang. In this early version of the story, Kirby discovers the Ghostface hideout instead of this being a Gale Weathers plot point. The conversation about family that happens between Sam and Gale was originally set to be a Sam and Sidney scene.
It was supposed to be Sam and Sidney stealing Bailey’s cop car to try and save Gale from her Ghostface attack, but it ended up being Sam and Tara in the finished movie. Gale leaves in an ambulance, and Sidney goes along with her to the hospital, where she reveals that she considers Gale to be family. She then calls Mark to update him, and promises to return home when she knows Gale is going to be okay. However, Sam contacts Sidney to get her help. Kurtz comments on Sidney's planned role in the final act:
Sidney arrives at the last minute to drop the TV that killed Stu onto Ethan’s head, saying, “Second time I’ve done that, if you can believe it. Works every time.” When Tara asks Sidney how she found them, she raises her phone and indicates the “Find My Fam” app. When Sam tells Sidney she missed the killers’ monologue, Sidney replies humorously, “Oh thank God.” Sidney tells the Carpenter sisters they are her “chosen family.”
The Original Plan for Sidney in Scream 6 Would Have Ruined Scream 7
Fans were devastated upon learning that Sidney Prescott wouldn't be returning for Scream 6. However, based on the information revealed in the early draft of the movie, it was probably a good thing she didn't return. The story arc that the early drafts laid out for her character would have made Scream 7 worse.
Firstly, it doesn't make sense for Sidney to travel to New York City to put herself in harm's way during the latest Ghostface attacks. Sidney has done everything she can to avoid Ghostface over the years, so this would have ruined her character beyond repair, and made Neve Campbell's Scream 7 return less special. A break for Sidney's character in Scream 6 makes Scream 7 more plausible. It's more likely that Ghostface will track her down, rather than Sidney turning up to help the Carpenter sisters and putting herself in trouble she could have avoided.
The Scream 6 early draft does reveal some potential character developments for Scream 7, and some of those ideas may appear in the upcoming sequel. Sidney and Mark's children's ages make sense for the rumored five-year time jump. This would put their oldest daughter at 15 in the new movie, a similar age to Sidney in the original Scream in 1996. Mark Kincaid being the sheriff is also a good idea that could be used in Scream 7, as well as the quiet suburban setting. However, some of these plans may have changed in Gus Buscik's latest script for Scream 7, with no requirement to follow a discarded script for Scream 6.
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