Scream 7 brings back original final girl Neve Campbell after Scream 6 no-show over pay dispute: "Sidney Prescott is coming back!"

Neve Campbell in Scream — (Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Scream's original final girl, Neve Campbell, is reprising her role as Sidney Prescott for the upcoming sequel Scream 7. And in another return for the series, it's also been revealed that Scream creator Kevin Williamson will direct the sequel.

This is a big deal as Campbell had previously stepped away for the role and didn't appear in Scream 6 due to a dispute over her pay. She had recently expressed her openness to return to the role and her sadness at seeing the franchise struggle, but it now seems the situation has been resolved amicably, as Campbell shared the news of her return in an Instagram post.

"Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!!" Campbell wrote. "It's always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned. I'm very happy and proud to say I've been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn't be more thrilled."

The Instagram post included an image of the Scream 7 script, revealing Williamson as the new director taking over from Freaky's Christopher Landon. Williamson created the franchise and wrote Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 4, and executive produced the 2022 Scream reboot and its sequel, last year's Scream 6. In September, he said during a podcast appearance that he would simply "pay the money" for Campbell to return if it were his decision.

"It's been nearly 30 years since my very first script, Scream, was directed by the legendary Wes Craven," Williamson wrote in his own Instagram announcement. "I never would have predicted what it would become. Or that I would be directing the seventh installment of the franchise. I am overcome with gratitude and excitement, and I can't wait to take this journey with Neve and the entire Scream family as we bring back Sidney Prescott in the next chapter of the Scream franchise. Thank you to all the Scream fans. You are the gift that keeps giving."

Campbell announced back in June 2022 that she would not be appearing in Scream 7 due to disagreements over her pay, saying "I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.