Hayden Panettiere set to return as fan-favorite Kirby Reed in Scream 6

Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed in Scream 4

(Image credit: Dimension Films)

She'll be right back! Hayden Panettiere is set to reprise her role as fan favorite Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise's sixth installment.

The actor, who is perhaps best known for playing Claire Bennet in Heroes, will appear alongside fellow familiar faces Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, and Courteney Cox in the new movie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, principal photography is scheduled to start this summer, with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – who helmed the sequel's predecessor –geared up to direct. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick are also returning to co-write the screenplay.

For now, plot details are being kept firmly under wraps, but we do know that the film will "continue with the four survivors of the Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter."

Panettiere was first introduced as scary movie buff Kirby in Scream 4, way back in 2011 – and despite the character having a nasty run-in with Ghostface in the movie, she survived.

Scream (2022) subtly confirmed that she was still alive in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Easter egg. The scene sees Jack Quaid's Richie watching clips of the fictional Stab movies on his laptop and, in the suggested videos column, there's a thumbnail for a Bloody Disgusting interview "with survivor Kirby Reed".

The movie itself saw final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) take a bit of a backseat, as Barrera's Sam Carpenter found herself the target of a new mask-wearing killer. As it stands, Campbell has yet to officially sign on to the upcoming movie.

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.