Scream 6 star Courteney Cox has broken her silence on Neve Campbell's absence from the horror sequel. The actor, who recently got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, got candid about how Campbell's exit from the franchise and admitted that, while she "missed working with her", it enabled her to have more meaty moments with the movie's mysterious murderer.
"I'm going to support whatever she feels is right," Cox, who is back as Gale Weathers, told Variety. "I have a really good scene with Ghostface and it was amazing. I've obviously been stabbed many times and all that, but this time, to work with Ghostface and not know who's under the mask, it was really fun. Usually by the time I'm getting stabbed, I know who it is."
While Campbell won't be returning in the follow-up, Scream 6 brings back Jenna Ortega's Tara, Jasmin Savoy Brown's Mindy, Mason Gooding's Chad, and Melissa Barrera's Sam from its predecessor. Hayden Panettiere is also back, as her Scream 4 survivor Kirby Reed. The gang will be joined on screen by newbies Liann Liberato as Quinn, Tony Revolori as Jason, Devyn Nekoda as Anika, Josh Segarra as Danny, Dermot Mulroney as Detective Bailey, and Samara Weaving as Laura.
"[Gail] still lives in New York, which is great because now the killer's in New York, just as Sam and Tara have moved there. It kind of fell right into her lap. She wrote a book afterward. She told Sam that she wouldn't and then, of course, she did because, I mean, someone was going to do it. So, she had to," Cox laughed. "Kirby comes — Hayden Panettiere. It's so interesting how people came back. I have to remember. I thought she died! I get so confused. There's been so many. I’m just so excited to be a part of something this long."
Campbell, who played former lead Sidney Prescott, is said to have exited the project due to a dispute over pay. "There were plans for Sidney, and they are no longer, unfortunately," the actor said at a Mad Monster Party Arizona panel (via Screen Rant. "I'm sure they'll make a good movie. 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."
More recently, Scream 6 directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett told Total Film that there's always a chance Campbell could come back to the series in the future. "It's Scream, of course," Bettinelli-Olpin stated, as Gillett added: ""We brought back Billy Loomis..."
Scream 6 releases in the UK on March 8, and US cinemas on March 10. In the meantime, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way in 2023 and beyond.
