Though Ghostface makes his return to theaters with the new sequel, fans will not see Sidney in Scream 6. Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott kicked off the franchise back in 1996 and delivered one of the most popular final girl characters in horror movie history. With each new movie, she gets stronger and smarter when going up against each new Ghostface killer. However, despite some exciting returning characters, the sixth entry in the franchise will be the first Scream movie without Sidney, but it’s not without reason.
More than a decade since Scream 4, the beloved horror franchise returned with 2022’s Scream. The movie worked as a reboot and legacy sequel, introducing new characters as well as classic returning Scream characters, including Sidney Prescott. While both Sidney and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) made it out of the movie alive, there will be no Sidney in Scream 6 with the franchise finally having to move on from its iconic final girl.
Neve Campbell Turned Down Returning As Sidney In Scream 6
After appearing as Sidney in Scream 5, Neve Campbell announced in June 2022 that she turned down an offer to return for Scream 6. According to Campbell, the offer made to her was far too low, saying, “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.” Although it isn’t known what the offer is, according to Neve Campbell, it wasn’t enough.
Sidney is the hero of the Scream movies, so the studio not doing all it could to ensure she would return is a disappointment. Hollywood has a longstanding problem of underpaying female stars in movies, with plenty of cases of women getting paid far less than their male co-stars. For this reason, Neve Campbell’s Scream 6 exit is understandable, as a franchise that has made $740 million could afford to pay its main star a fair wage that honors her legacy and contribution to Scream. Sadly, though, this seems like another case of Hollywood not undervaluing its female stars, leading Campbell to stand by her values and remove Sidney Prescott from the Scream franchise.
How Scream 6 Explained Sidney’s Absence
While Neve Campbell might not be returning, Sidney Prescott is too important to the Scream franchise to ignore. As a new Ghostface Killer emerges in Scream 6, the subject of Sidney and her whereabouts is obviously brought up. With Gale returning, she lets the audience know that Sidney is safe and won’t be the victim of some off-screen death. Instead, she is said to have gone into hiding with her husband Mark (Sidney’s love interest from Scream 3) and her children.
Though it is disappointing to have a Scream movie with no Sidney, this is a simple explanation that makes sense. Sidney has been getting smarter and more careful as the franchise continued even refusing to go back to Woodsboro for most of Scream 5. The idea that she would just stay out of the mayhem this time and keep her family safe makes perfect sense for Sidney.
How Scream 6 Continues Sidney’s Legacy
Not having Sidney in Scream 6 is a shock, but the franchise does already seem to be moving on with new Scream characters. Although Neve Campbell does not return, Scream 6 finds a way to honor the legacy of Sidney Prescott through Jenna Ortega’s character, Tara, who is the main character of Scream 6. Sidney helped Tara get out alive in Scream 5 and there seemed to be a passing of the torch in that movie, even though it was not yet known that Sidney wouldn’t return.
From Tara’s introduction in the opening scene of Scream 5, she felt like a worthy successor to Sidney Prescott as the hero of the Scream franchise. It wasn’t just that Sidney was the girl constantly being targeted by Ghostface killers that made her interesting. She was a final girl who fought back. The audience could feel for her as she is often terrified and in danger, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t strong. She would get angry and turn the tables on the killers just as Tara does. If Sidney was not going to continue in this franchise, they needed a character who the audience would get behind and believe was every bit the survivor that Sidney is. Luckily, Tara fits that role perfectly.
What Sidney Actress Neve Campbell Thinks Of Scream 6
Even though there is no Sidney in Scream 6, it seems that Neve Campbell still has love for the franchise. Skeet Ulrich, who played Billy Loomis in the original Scream and Scream 2022, spoke to his former co-star and shared Neve Campbell’s review of Scream 6. Ulrich noted, “She loves it; she loves what we’ve done.” Ulrich also suggests Campbell misses the franchise with this being the first time not appearing, however, he also claims they all support her reasons for turning it down. Given Campbell’s positive reaction and her continued enthusiasm for the series, it could be possible that Sidney would return in a future Scream sequel.
