Goodbye Sydney: Neve Campbell Sitting Out Scream 6
My thoughts on Neve Campbell not returning and the idiotic backlash that plagued social media.
Yesterday, fans of the 26-year-old beloved horror franchise, “Scream”, were met with unfortunate news when it was announced that Neve Campbell would not be returning for the sixth installment. According to a statement from Deadline, it was over a pay dispute. Rumors started around the convention circuit until it was made official yesterday when she stated the following:
“I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
“It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you.”
As far as the rest of the surviving cast: Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmine Savoy-Brown, and Mason Gooding are all set to return with filming taking place on the 9th of June. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (the duo also known as Radio Silence) will be returning to direct.
As far as my thoughts on “Scream 6” being the first film to not include Sidney Prescott, I’m actually fine with that. I honestly felt that that was the case when she recently signed on to Peacock’s “Twisted Metal” Series. Neve not being in the next “Scream” movie is understandable by part 6 given that she has spent the past 4 films being chased by Ghostface. Granted, while she was in the most recent film, She wasn’t the main character anymore. Her purpose (along with Gale and Dewey) was to simply pass the torch to a new generation just like the original cast in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Besides, when we first see Sidney in this new film, she is seen living her own life free of Woodsboro and living with her husband and kids.
One of my worst fears about constantly bringing back the legacy characters was that they would either serve as sacrificial lamb as a cheap means of creating shock value or to literally diminish stakes. We’ve seen this happen before with many films such as Netflix’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, the 2002 flop “Halloween: Resurrection”, and Disney’s “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. There’s a reason why “Top Gun: Maverick” is regarded as a gold standard for legacy sequels: the characters of Maverick and Iceman are treated with respect. There is a right way to pass the torch just as there is a wrong way to do so. Bringing back Sidney or Gale as a cheap marketing ploy only to have them unceremoniously offed like Laurie was in “Halloween: Resurrection” is not the way to do it. Frankly, as tragic as it was, Dewey being axed in the last film kinda pissed me off. However, having the original cast serve as a bridge to the new cast with one last hurrah before riding off into the sunset is.
Given how little screentime they had in the last movie, it’s safe to say that the franchise was going to slowly move away from them anyway. The last film had a few flaws but, It did a great job of introducing a new and likable cast. For starters, the franchise struck gold with rising star Jenna Ortega. I actually found her to be the best character in the entire film, next to the original cast members. While I found Barerra to be wooden as the lead, I hope that she gives a better performance in the next film. Jasmine Savoy-Brown and Mason Godding as the Meeks-Martin Siblings were also great as well. This is the new cast we’re moving on with and I welcome them with open arms. As much as I love Sidney and Gale, there are only so many times we can see them being hunted down by Ghostface. Listen, I love Adele: she’s got some great songs and is an incredibly talented singer but, I refuse to listen to the radio. Why? Because they always play “Set Fire to the Rain” every 10 minutes. Great song but, way too overplayed. The same goes for the Scream Franchise.
Unfortunately, as is the case with Social Media, some fans reacted swiftly and stupidly. You have one camp that believes that Neve should suck it up and “do it for the fans” while you have the other camp that claims that “Scream” cannot survive without Sidney Prescott.” Then, there are those who actually have a brain. For starters: while I do not represent Neve Campbell nor know her personally, I can safely say that she does not owe anybody a single fucking thing. While I love both her and the character of Sidney Prescott, I also respect Neve’s decision to walk away. She has that right after starring in five movies to do so. To think that she should just show up because we want it is not only dehumanizing and despicable but, also woefully ignorant. It highlights how little somebody knows about how the industry works. As for those who claim that the franchise can’t live without Sidney, the last film did just fine. Most of the new cast held the screen down without her. Gripes about Barrea’s performance aside, Jenna Ortega basically became an overnight darling to horror fans everywhere. I think the franchise will do just fine.
Making matters worse are the people devolving into the same brain rot tactics that Star Wars fans use whenever something doesn’t go their way. There have been screenshots of people berating the new cast members on social media and harassing the directors via direct messaging. I find all of this to be extremely ironic considering that the last movie’s narrative literally centered around toxic fandom. This type of clown-like behavior is one of the main reasons why I wrote off “Star Wars.” At the end of the day, these people are doing a job. Granted, they are entertainers but, they are still people. To partake in such deranged and frankly, pitiful behavior does not make anything better. If anything, it actually makes things worse. Again, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Melissa’s performance but, I don’t want her ( or anyone involved with the franchise for that matter) to go down the same path that Jake Lloyd did after “Phantom Menace.” Please, do better.
There isn’t much revealed about the salary dispute between Neve Campbell and Paramount/Spyglass and honestly, we may never know what will come of this. All we can do is be reasonable and give the next film a chance. The last film was a major risk: while all 3 of the original cast members came back, neither Wes Craven nor Kevin Williamson did. I honestly didn’t think we were getting another “Scream” movie after Wes Craven passed away in 2015. (That show didn’t happen) However, The directing duo, Radio Silence, made one of the best “Scream” movies to date and ushered in a cast of characters we wanted to see more of. I hope we get a good “Scream” movie without the original cast. I hope that it is confirmed that Sidney has moved on and lived in peace. After four and a half movies, she deserves it. I also hope that, if the door remains open, that she (along with Gale) is treated better by Paramount than Luke, Han, and Leia were by Disney.
“Scream 6” is set to release in theaters on March 31st, 2023.