Fans who were hoping that Neve Campbell would reprise her role as Sidney Prescott in Scream 6 were sad to hear that won't be the case. Campbell cited financial reasons, telling fans, "I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise." David Arquette commented on Neve Campbell's choice and said that he "respects her decision" but a "Scream movie without Sidney is kind of unfortunate." This is likely how fans feel: understanding where Campbell is coming from while knowing that the next movie will definitely feel different.
While horror fans will definitely watch Scream 6 when it hits movie theaters in 2013, it's huge news that Campbell won't be part of it, making audiences curious about the future of the franchise and how the film will explain her absence.
Famous final girls Laurie Strode and Sidney Prescott have been entertaining horrors fans for decades. Jamie Lee Curtis has returned for every new Halloween film, which feels right, and Scream fans were hopeful that Neve Campbell would appear in every new movie as well. From a storytelling perspective, it seems tough to picture Scream 6 working without Sidney... especially without Arquette's character Dewey Riley. Dewey's death was a mistake... and it's hard to imagine watching Scream 6 without two beloved and original characters. Dewey and Sidney's friendship was always so sweet and pure. They looked out for one another and never stopped caring.
There are a lot of reasons to get excited for the new movie. Hayden Panettiere''s character Kirby will be back for Scream 6,Dermot Mulroney joined the movie, and Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Jasmine Savoy-Brown, and Mason Gooding will all be back. Since Courteney Cox has signed on, it seems like Gale Weathers will be the OG character who is there for the younger characters. It will be fun to see Kirby again and of course fans of the franchise are going to come back for more. But it will feel like something is missing.
It feels like a shame that Sidney won't be back. While the twins Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin are smart and funny, and Tara and Sam Carpenter are final girls in their own right, Sidney has shown fans the aftermath of a final girl character. Sidney's desire to move on after trauma and her ability to keep pushing forward is fascinating and unique.
There are some mistakes that Scream 6 should avoid, and the new film might not be set in Woodsboro, as the official description is that the characters have been taken away from their hometown. From a storytelling POV, it's going to be easier to watch a Scream movie without Sidney if the entire thing isn't set in the place that she always feels called to come back to. But fans will still likely miss the tough final girl and everything that she brings to the franchise.
It was great watching the new characters in Scream (2022) and Tara and Sam definitely carried the movie. But part of the fun of seeing the fifth movie was knowing that this was still Sidney's story. After all, Sidney is the reason why people have been going on killing sprees. What will the new Ghostface's motive possibly be? It's definitely true that the killer (or killers) can still have a connection to Sidney. But if that's the case, will they really have an impact?
When fans reflect on the popular slasher franchise, it feels tough to watch a Scream movie without Sidney. It feels like Sidney Prescott is Scream. Sidney is the teenage girl dealing with her mother's absolutely tragic death, showing her dad kindness while navigating a tricky relationship with Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). Sidney cares about the Riley family, from Dewey to her best pal Tatum (Rose McGowan), and as she gets older, she forges new relationships and tries to find people who she can rely on.
The Sidney Prescott of Scream (2022) is as tough as ever but also a bit softer. She wants to be there for Sam as she knows that she herself has been there before and she's just as focused on killing Ghostface as she has been in the past.
Sidney's absence shows what works so well about Scream (2022): the combination of new characters who fans get to know and the original characters (Gale, Dewey, and Sidney) who have been down this road before and who know what to do. With only Gale left, it's hard to get as excited about watching new Scream films, which is too bad as these movies always nail the balance of humor and creepiness that many fans of the genre search for.