With a release date of March 31, 2023, Scream 6 (2023) is some time away, but that won't stop fans from speculating about many things in the meantime. How will the filmmakers deal with Neve Campbell's shocking exit? Will Gale Weathers finally meet her maker? And who will the killer be in Scream 6?
Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for Scream (2022)!
Scream 6 recently delivered a blow to its own fanbase when it was revealed that Neve Campbell, who has played final girl Sidney Prescott in all five Scream films to date, won't be returning for Scream 6 due to a salary dispute. She said:
"Sadly I won't be making the next Scream film. 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," she continues. "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."
Related: Scream 6 Release Date, Studio, Where to Watch, Trailer and Everything You Need to Know!
Nevertheless, the sixth installment in the hugely popular "meta slasher" franchise will continue without Campbell, as shooting for Scream 6 is now already underway, which started in Canada last month.
In fact, a script had previously been sent to a number of cast members, although it begs to question how many changes this will likely go through in the coming weeks and months now that Sidney is out of the picture.
Related: Who will be in Scream 6?
Or is she? How will the filmmakers deal with Campbell's exit? Does Sidney Prescott feature heavily into the script? Will they recast her? Or kill her off between movies? Either way, fans aren't happy.
However, despite what they may say, Scream fans will flock to movie theaters no matter what. After all, it's not like Sidney was really even the main character in Scream 4 (2011) and Scream (2022).
Related: What will Scream 6 be about?
With that said, she does bring a lot to the table, and having a Scream sequel rely solely on its fresh blood just wouldn't work quite as well. As for Scream (2022), that film was designed entirely around the idea of "legacy sequels."
In the latest Scream installment, it is revealed that Ritchie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) and Mikey Madison (Amber Freeman) are the new Ghostface killers, motivated to give Hollywood new inspiration to create a more "authentic" Stab sequel.
Related: Is Kirby from Scream 4 alive?
It will be interesting to see how Scream 6 intends to continue this meta-commentary, especially seeing as there really aren't that many places left to go. We've covered sequels, trilogies, remakes, and now legacy sequels. Where next?
Well, without giving credit where it may not be due, perhaps Campbell's exit itself will inspire a rewriting of the script and the overall commentary. Is there anything that can be said about legacy characters not returning?
Related: Neve Campbell Quits Scream 6
Only time will tell. But for now, let's try and work out who the next Ghostface killers will be. Or maybe there will only be one this time around, which has only ever happened in Scream 3 (2000).
Scream 6 will see the return of Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), and Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed).
Related: Is Kirby coming back for Scream 6?
It's possible that Sam Carpenter will be the new Ghostface killer. After all, she's the illegitimate daughter of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), and her disposal of Ritchie reeked of Ghostface (notice how she even wipes her blade clean).
But what about Gale Weathers? Sure, Gale has been part of the Woodsboro "Scooby Gang" from the beginning, but as Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) warns us in Scream 2 (1997), "Reporters stage the news!"
And let's not forget Kirby Reed, survivor of Scream 4. While she's a fan-favorite, never say never. But not so fast - let's talk about newcomers Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Laina Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Josh Segarra, and Henry Czerny.
It could be any one of these actors, but seeing as we don't know who they'll be playing yet, your guess is as good as ours - although we'd put money on Henry Czerny after his role in Ready Or Not (2019), which is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, directors of Scream (2022) and Scream 6.
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Scream 6 will be released in theaters on March 31, 2021.
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