It’s official! After sitting out Scream VI due to a controversial pay dispute, Neve Campbell will be reprising her role as Sidney Prescott in the next Scream movie. The news of Campbell’s return for Scream 7 was first broken by Campbell herself via Instagram. In the post, she wrote, “Hi All. I’m so excited to announce this news!!! Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!! 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!!!”
And, in a new twist even the most hardcore fans couldn’t have predicted, none other than the franchise’s original mastermind, original Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson will be directing. As per Campbell, “While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct Scream 7! This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years.”
Here’s Campbell’s original Instagram post:
To put it mildly, the production process for Scream 7 has been fraught. First, new franchise lead Melissa Barrera was fired due to some social media posts highly critical of Israel (which some in Hollywood viewed as anti-semitic). Then, news broke that Jenna Ortega, who played Barrera’s sister in the films, also passed on coming back, with new director Christopher Landon following shortly after. He bluntly wrote on social media that “it was a dream job that turned into a nightmare.”
Interestingly, Kevin Williamson doesn’t seem to have a writing credit, with Guy Busick, who wrote the last two films with James Vanderbilt, getting sole credit in the screenplay pic Campbell posted (Vanderbilt has a co-story credit). This will only be Williamson’s second film as a director, with the last being 1999’s Teaching Mrs. Tingle. However, he’s arguably the most important creative force the franchise ever had outside of the late Wes Craven, with him having created all the characters when he wrote the first film. It’s great to see him return and get a turn in the director’s chair. Williamson made his own Instagram post to celebrate the news:
What do you think of this most recent Scream franchise twist? Are you glad Neve Campbell is back for Scream 7, with Kevin Williamson at the helm? Let us know in the comments!
The post Scream 7: Neve Campbell’s return confirmed; Kevin Williamson to direct appeared first on JoBlo.
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