Pay Neve or watch her leave. Legendary Scream actress Neve Campbell made a clear statement after rumors circulated regarding her involvement in next year’s reboot sequel.
“Sadly, I won’t be making the next Scream. As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise,” Campbell shared to Variety.
Since 1996’s Scream, not a single entry in Wes Craven’s meta slasher series hasn't featured Campbell as the iconic Sidney Prescott character. Dimension Films and The Wayans brothers even crafted a successful franchise (Scary Movie) around Anna Farris’ Cindy Campbell, a direct parody of Campbell’s Sidney Prescott character.
Fellow genre icon Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) has also been vocal about not seeing big paydays from her own work in Horror. Scream co-stars such as Matthew Lillard (Scooby Doo) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Yellowjackets) have shown public support for the actress in her decision to walk away. While this may not be the development most fans wanted to hear, Campbell assures that this was no easy choice.
“It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
Spyglass and Paramount Pictures have yet to publicly address the issue. Earlier this year, the franchise’s reboot proved to be a commercial success in an unsteady time for most theatrical releases.