‘Scream’ creator Kevin Williamson expresses hope of Neve Campbell returning to series

North Carolina [US], September 8 (ANI): ‘Scream’ creator Kevin Williamson is hoping that Canadian actor Neve Campbell, who played Sidney Prescott in the famous horror movie, will return to the franchise after leaving last year due to salary disagreements, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

During a recent appearance on the ‘Happy Horror Time’ podcast, the writer-producer-director stated that he “totally respects her opinion,” but that he hopes something can be worked out for future films.

“I know exactly where she’s coming from, I know her well,” Williamson said. “I love and adore her and that’s what she did. It’s right for her. I love everyone involved in Scream and all I can say is, pay her the money. That’s what I would do, I would give her the money.”

He continued, “I’m sure there’s a number they can agree on that will make them both happy, so hopefully one day they will figure that all out.”

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Campbell revealed in June 2022 that she would not be returning for the then upcoming sixth sequel over salary negotiations. Though she said it was a difficult decision, she added in a statement at the time, “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.”

She later said in an interview with People magazine, “I did not feel that what I was being offered equated to the value that I bring to this franchise, and have brought to this franchise, for 25 years. And as a woman in this business, I think it’s really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued. I honestly don’t believe that if I were a man and had done five instalments of a huge blockbuster franchise over 25 years, that the number that I was offered would be the number that would be offered to a man.”

The first four ‘Scream’ films were written by Williamson, but the fifth sequel was written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick in 2022. Williamson, who is still an executive producer on the franchise, also revealed on the podcast what he had in store for Sidney if he continued to write scripts.

“Scream IV, V, and VI, would have been [about] the love story of Sidney Prescott, and it would’ve been this whole thing of she’s falling in love, she’s going to get married, it’s all based around her marriage when these murders start happening again,” he said. “It’s like, is this man that she’s in love with the killer again? Is she Billy Loomis-ing herself all over again? Is she still making the wrong decisions? Is she still choosing the bad guy?”

Williamson added that if Campbell does return and reprises her role as Sidney, he is “absolutely determined” that her character gets a happy ending. ‘Scream VI’, which was released in March, is currently streaming on Paramount Plus, and ‘Scream 7’ is currently in the works with Christopher Landon directing, reported The Hollywood Reporter.