Scream 7 brings back original final girl Neve Campbell after Scream 6 no-show over pay dispute: "Sidney Prescott is coming back!"

Neve Campbell in Scream
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Scream's original final girl, Neve Campbell, is reprising her role as Sidney Prescott for the upcoming sequel Scream 7. And in another return for the series, it's also been revealed that Scream creator Kevin Williamson will direct the sequel.

This is a big deal as Campbell had previously stepped away for the role and didn't appear in Scream 6 due to a dispute over her pay. She had recently expressed her openness to return to the role and her sadness at seeing the franchise struggle, but it now seems the situation has been resolved amicably, as Campbell shared the news of her return in an Instagram post.

"Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!!" Campbell wrote. "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."

The Instagram post included an image of the Scream 7 script, revealing Williamson as the new director taking over from Freaky's Christopher Landon. Williamson created the franchise and wrote Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 4, and executive produced the 2022 Scream reboot and its sequel, last year's Scream 6. In September, he said during a podcast appearance that he would simply "pay the money" for Campbell to return if it were his decision.

"It's been nearly 30 years since my very first script, Scream, was directed by the legendary Wes Craven," Williamson wrote in his own Instagram announcement. "I never would have predicted what it would become. Or that I would be directing the seventh installment of the franchise. I am overcome with gratitude and excitement, and I can't wait to take this journey with Neve and the entire Scream family as we bring back Sidney Prescott in the next chapter of the Scream franchise. Thank you to all the Scream fans. You are the gift that keeps giving."

Campbell announced back in June 2022 that she would not be appearing in Scream 7 due to disagreements over her pay, saying "I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."

Scream 7 plot details and release date information have yet to be revealed.

Find out where the original Scream ranked on our list of the best horror movies ever.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
Scream 7: a screenshot of Ghostface holding a knife during Scream 6.
Scream 7 release date, cast, plot, and everything else we know so far
Scream (2022)
Scream 7's casting continues to confuse as David Arquette's Dewey Riley confirmed to return
Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher in Scream 1996
Original Ghostface killer is returning for Scream 7 as star Matthew Lillard confirms
Kathryn Newton in Abigail
Marvel star joins former Scream directors for highly-anticipated upcoming horror sequel
Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
Sarah Michelle Gellar breaks silence on Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot: "We will only make this show if we can do it right"
M3GAN 2.0 teaser
M3GAN 2.0 is here to slay in a perfectly on-brand first sequel teaser for the upcoming horror movie
Latest in Horror Movies
Lea Myren as Elvira in The Ugly Stepsister
Cinderella body horror movie that made viewers sick gets release date, and it’s coming very soon
Indy in Ben Leonberg's haunted house horror Good Boy
Good Boy, a new scary movie told from a dog's POV, is being called "one of the best horror films of the year"
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog
Drop
New horror movie starring White Lotus and Yellowstone actors gets a great Rotten Tomatoes score as early reactions call it the "perfect date night movie"
Clown in a Cornfield
First reactions to new clown horror movie say the slasher is giving Terrifier a run for its money
The House of the Dead first look 'Test Subjects'
Resident Evil director offers update on his horror movie adaptation of Until Dawn-sounding video game from over 20 years ago: "It's going to be very, very scary"
Latest in News
Rift Apart
Retiring Insomniac boss says developers should still tackle new genres, but it's much riskier these days due to time and money
Atomfall screenshot
Atomfall dev doesn’t understand how massive development teams manage to keep organised: "How do you organize a game that has 2,000 people working on it?"
Stardew Valley Baldur's Gate 3 mod Baldur's Village
Stardew Valley player bringing a bit of Baldur's Gate 3 to ConcernedApe's farming sim, now with Larian's seal of approval, says they've played over 1,500 hours and will improve the mod
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Monster Hunter Wilds' final boss is even cooler than we thought: series experts point out attacks stitched together from iconic monsters throughout the series
This is Spinal Tap
First Spinal Tap 2 teaser reveals release date for comedy sequel that’s over 40 years in the making
Superman surrounded by the exploding Krypton.
Absolute Superman #5 puts a devastating new spin on the Man of Steel's origin story