Hayden Panettiere was one of the stars of the Scream franchise not to return for this year’s sequel, but she will be back reprising her role as Kirby Reed in Scream 6. According to the actress, her return to the franchise is all down to her own need to be in the series again after missing out on being part of Scream. However, the actress wouldn’t say how big her role in the movie is going to be.
In Scream 4, Panettiere’s Kirby did find herself on the end of one of the two Ghostface killers’ knives, and was left for dead. However, Kirby was revealed to have survived the attack in this year’s sequel, and that has allowed her to join the cast for Scream 6. Panettiere will appear alongside fellow returnees Courteney Cox, Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding for the latest round of the slasher saga.
Appearing on Good Morning America, Panettiere explained that she herself was mainly responsible for bringing Kirby back in the newest addition to the franchise. She explained:
“I called them up myself and was like, ‘So, you guys don’t happen to want to bring Kirby back, do you?’ I wanted to be in it that badly. I don’t think anyone’s going to be disappointed.”
Scream 6 Will Feature Plenty of Returns, But Not Neve Campbell
While Hayden Panettiere will make a welcome return to the franchise, one original star who has been ruled out of this instillment is Neve Campbell. While Campbell has been at the center of the Scream story from the first movie, and reprised her role in the fifth movie, the actress revealed that she would not be joining Scream 6 due to salary issues. At the time, she said:
“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. 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.”
There have been subsequent rumors that Campbell has since negotiated a larger pay packet to return in Scream 7, but with the sixth movie only filming now and its release date not until Mar. 31, 2023, there is a long way to go before that movie is going to get the green light.
Where exactly the Scream franchise will go without one of its central characters is as yet unknown, but the movie still has Courteney Cox on board for nostalgia fans, and for everyone else there is no doubt going to be the usual racking up of the body count until a killer is unveiled in the final act. Scream 6’s plot is believed to move out of Woodsboro in what is being described as “a fresh chapter.”