The irony of Scream and Scream VI helping to revitalize the horror franchise is that its success was followed by its greatest turmoil. External events led to the firing of star Melissa Barrera, the exit of red-hot star Jenna Ortega, and the quitting of director Christopher Landon. But it’s clear that an effort is being made to make amends, at least to the fans and unquestionably Scream‘s most popular star.
Spyglass Media announced that Neve Campbell is officially back as Sidney Prescott for Scream VII. Campbell had decided not to return for Scream VI due to pay disparities, and a general feeling that her worth to the franchise was going unappreciated.
Not only that, but Scream creator and writer Kevin Williamson will finally get to direct one for himself. He previously penned three of the previous movies, plus other iconic teen horrors of the era such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Faculty. Previous to this, Williamson’s only directorial effort was 1999’s Teaching Mrs. Tingle.
Campbell remarked on IG about the news, praising the people she’s worked with and showing excitement to finally have Williamson behind the camera:
“While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. 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. To the amazing Scream fans, I hope you are as excited as I am.”
Scream VII will have a script by Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt. The film doesn’t currently have a release date, and with the writers essentially starting from scratch, we might not hear about one for a while.
