Scream 7 has faced a lot of uncertainty after the departures of its main stars, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, and the subsequent exit of the director, Christopher Landon, from the Paramount project. This has left many fans to speculate about the possible return of Neve Campbell as the original final girl, Sidney Prescott. However, Campbell didn't return for Scream 6 due to a pay dispute, so these issues would have to be ironed out to pave the way for her return to the franchise.

The upcoming sequel is currently in pre-production with James Vanderbilt and Gus Busick currently re-writing the script and the search ongoing for a new director to helm the slasher flick. No casting announcements have been made, but Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have been confirmed to return as executive producers.

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Why did Sidney not appear in Scream 6?

Production on Scream 6 was hit by the announcement that Neve Campbell wouldn't reprise her role as the titular final girl, Sidney Prescott, after previously appearing in every film in the series up until that point. It was all down to a pay dispute with Spyglass, with Campbell feeling like she wasn't being offered the amount she was worth. She shed more light on this decision in an exclusive interview with People:

It's a fair point to make after everything Campbell has brought to the franchise over the years, despite it never being revealed what she was actually offered. If Campbell felt the offer was insulting, she simply had no other choice but to decline.

Having said that, Campbell was no longer the main star of the franchise after the emergence of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega as the leads, so the potential success of the sequel wasn't necessarily solely down to Campbell's return. And this point was proven when Scream 6 became the highest-grossing sequel in the whole series when it was released in March 2023.

It has been suggested that Jenna Ortega also left the upcoming project after a pay dispute which was announced shortly after Melissa Barrera was fired for pro-Palestine posts on her Instagram, leaving the future of Scream 7 very much in the balance. However, these departures could put Neve Campbell front and center of the Scream franchise once again, with the rumor mill suggesting Sidney Prescott could face off against Ghostface once again.

How Could Sidney be reintroduced to the story in Scream 7?

In Scream 6, Gale Weathers revealed to Sam and Tara Carpenter that Sidney Prescott was aware of everything that was going on in New York, but she wouldn't be returning to fight Ghostface, opting to go into hiding with her husband Mark Kincaid and her children. This made perfect sense, as Sidney had been trying to get away from the demons in her past for many years and wouldn't actively choose to put herself in danger again unless the killer came looking for her.

In Scream (2022), she made it clear to Dewey Riley that she wouldn't be coming back to Woodsboro to help in the fight against the new iteration of Ghostface, but this all changed due to her old friend's major death at the hands of the masked psychopath. She teams up with Gale to avenge Dewey's death before seemingly returning to her new life.

If Sidney Prescott was to return in Scream 7, the only logical way for her to come back was if Ghostface tracked her down, and she was forced to defend herself and her family. There have been rumors circulating that the creative team behind Scream 7 would like to see Patrick Dempsey reprise his role as Mark Kincaid from Scream 3, and seen as his character is now married to Sidney, it would make sense. Despite the devastating blow of losing Barrera and Ortega, Scream 7 could be saved by Sidney and Mark joining forces with fellow legacy survivors, Gale and Kirby Reed, to fight off the next version of Ghostface. The Core 4 of Sam, Tara, Mindy and Chad has been broken up, but this could pave the way for the 'OG Core 4.'

Scream

The Scream movie and TV franchise began with the release of the first film in 1996. Directed by horror master Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the deconstruction of slasher movies was an instant cultural, critical, and financial hit. Neve Campbell, who plays ongoing final girl Sidney Prescott, has become a horror icon in her own right, along with Ghostface, the only horror villain whose identity is always changing. Nearly three decades later, the Scream franchise shows no signs of slowing down.

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