Neve Campbell Is Back! How Sidney Prescott’s Return Changes Everything for ‘Scream 7’
Nearly 30 years after she made her first appearance as Sidney Prescott, Neve Campbell will return to the iconic franchise in Scream 7. Campbell exited the series after her appearance in the fifth movie due to a salary dispute. She will rejoin the series for the seventh film, and she’s making some changes now that she’s back.
Neve Campbell will appear in ‘Scream 7’
Campbell made her debut in Scream in 1996. She returned for four of the film’s sequels, but exited after the 2022 revival. She’s back for the film’s seventh installment, though, and she wants to see a return to the series’ roots.
“Neve wants to go back to the first one and find the suspense and really concentrate on scary and not bloody,” director Kevin Williamson said in the book Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins. “She was smart. She goes, ‘This is the time to do it because we’re moving away from New York. We’re going back to Sidney’s life. This is the time to reset a little bit. And I’m like, ‘Yup, let’s do it.’”
The films have grown increasingly violent since the franchise’s revivals, so this will be good news for more squeamish fans.
Neve Campbell initially said she would not join the cast of ‘Scream 7’
Campbell did not return for the sixth film in the series due to a salary dispute.
“As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream,” she explained, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
While she admitted this wasn’t an easy decision, she knew it was the right one. She loves the films, though, and is happy to return after settling the salary dispute.
“I’m so excited to announce this news!!! Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!” she wrote on Instagram. “! It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned. I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!”
Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega will not return for the latest installment
The most recent films starred Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega as sisters facing off against Ghostface. In 2023, Barrera was fired from the franchise after she called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Her firing sparked significant online backlash, with many fans saying they wouldn’t watch the latest installment.
After Barrera’s exit, Ortega also left Scream 7.
“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega told The Cut. “The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart.”
Scream 7 hits theaters on Feb. 27, 2026.
