"Super disappointing": Fans divided over Neve Campbell returning for Scream 7 months after Spyglass fired Melissa Barrera

Neve Campbell, the Canadian actress famous for playing the role of Sidney Prescott in the Scream franchise, is set to return for the upcoming seventh installment. The decision comes amid various controversies including a pay dispute and Melissa Barrera getting dropped from the project.

50-year-old Neve took to Instagram on March 12, 2024, to share the news with her followers. She posted a snippet of the Scream 7 script, with a caption:

"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."

Campbell also announced that the untitled Scream 7 movie is to be directed by Kevin Williamson who wrote the 1996 original, as per USA Today.

Back in 2022, the actress had declined to return for 2023's Scream VI. She stated to Variety that she felt the salary offer presented to her for the sequel did not match what she brought in for the franchise. Many fans posted their excitement about Neve's return.

A fan talks about Neve's return. (Image via Reddit/@Fauxmoi)

Some netizens, however, said they were not pleased with the news because Melissa Barrera was fired from the lead role over her Pro-Palestinian comments about the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.

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Netizens react to Neve Campbell's return for Scream 7 after the news of pay dispute and Melissa Barrera getting fired

Neve Campbell has been part of the Scream franchise since its inception. She played the main lead Sidney Prescott in the first four films, all directed by Wes Craven. Scream 4 was released in 2011.

After Craven died in 2015, the movies were rebooted in 2022 with the fifth one, called Scream. The film series regulars, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette returned alongside a new cast with the main leads Sam Carpenter played by Melissa Barrera, and her sister, Tara Carpenter starring Jenna Ortega, as per USA Today. Neve announced her return on Instagram on Tuesday saying:

"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"

Campbell also revealed that Kevin Williamson, the writer of the original Scream and its sequels titled Scream and Scream 4 will direct the upcoming film. She said:

"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."

Neve Campbell had not reprised her role in Scream VI. She gave a statement in 2022, talking about the pay dispute. As per Forbes, she said:

"I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."

However, Scream VI was a commercial success, breaking the opening weekend record for the entire franchise. The leading duo Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera played a great part in getting the younger audience into the franchise's fandom. However, the future of the series was put into question after lead Barrera was fired last November, as per USA Today.

The 33-year-old Barrera had shown support for Palestine on social media during the ongoing war while also criticizing Israel. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict so far, almost half of whom were children, as reported by BBC. Barrera was called an anti-Semite for her Pro-Palestinian comments.

Netizens have reacted to the news of Neve Campbell's return to the franchise. Many were pleased with this announcement.

However, some called out Neve Campbell and Spyglass Media Group, the production company that is now behind the film series. They showed their support for Melissa Barrera.

Scream film series has made over $900m at the global box office. The script for the seventh part is penned by Guy Busick, as per The Guardian.