Neve Campbell has officially signed on to reprise her role as Sidney Prescott in Scream 5. For years now, the Scream franchise has been largely on hold when it comes to the big screen following the mixed response to Scream 4 and the passing of creator Wes Craven. However, there were rumblings of a reboot in 2019 before Scream 5 was officially announced earlier this year. Directed by Ready or Not duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet, Scream 5 was aiming for a 2021 release, but the coronavirus pandemic has led to it being pushed to January 2022.
Excitement for Scream 5 rose when franchise star David Arquette signed on to play Dewey Riley once more. Courteney Cox then confirmed her return in July, but Campbell, who is the franchise’s lead and original scream queen, remained unattached. Even as new cast members like Jack Quaid and Melissa Barrera joined the project, it was unclear if Campbell would sign on. As of today, though, that’s changed.
Per Bloody Disgusting, Campbell has officially joined the cast of Scream 5. Campbell will once again play Sidney for this latest installment, and she confirmed the news herself on social media with an ominous post. Check it out down below.
Additionally, the directors said this in a statement:
We’re pinching ourselves! It’s hard to express how much the character Sidney Prescott shaped our love of movies and to have the chance to work with Neve is truly a dream come true. It just wouldn’t be a Scream movie without Neve and we’re so excited and honored to join her in Woodsboro.
Since Campbell appeared in all four previous Scream movies, making another without her would’ve been unthinkable. The returns of Arquette and Cox also fueled the desire to see Campbell return; the only thing that appeared to be hindering things was her hesitance to appear in the franchise without Craven. However, Campbell previously seemed optimistic about the direction Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are taking things, and her signing on indicates she feels especially comfortable with Scream 5‘s story. It remains to be seen if others from past Scream films (or even the television show) will also join up for the fifth installment, but fans would likely be thrilled to see more familiar faces.
For the time being, major plot details about Scream 5 remain a mystery aside from the fact it’ll follow a woman returning to her hometown amid a string of vicious crimes to discover who is responsible. Who that woman is hasn’t been disclosed, but now that Campbell as joined the cast, there’s a very real chance it’s Sidney. It could also be an entirely new character (like Barrera’s), and Sidney is merely there to act as a mentor. More information will surely be revealed as the film draws closer, though sadly it remains well over a year away. Nevertheless, Campbell’s return gives fans a major reason to be excited for Scream 5.
