Cry VI The directors said they were open to working with Neve Campbell again and hoped for her return to the horror franchise.
As Cry VI marked the first film in the franchise in which Campbell’s character Sidney Prescott did not appear, but the film’s makers are determined not to let the 49-year-old actress go.
In a conversation with THR, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett shared their thoughts on working with Campbell and what they expect from his return to the franchise.
“We will never give it up. We love Neve and we love Sidney,” Bettinelli-Olpin told the outlet. “So we would love to be able to do another movie with her, and we’re not giving up.”
Moreover, when the administrators sat down with Varietyscreenwriter James Vanderbilt also joined the conversation and expressed his thoughts “We love Neve and think she’s amazing and had a great experience with her on [Scream 5],” he said.
He further added, “She has to do what she has to do as a businesswoman, and we totally support that.”
For the uninitiated, last year Campbell announced she wouldn’t be joining the franchise until Cry VI, due to a pay dispute with the studio.
“Unfortunately, I will not be doing the next Shout movie,” Campbell said, per Deadline. “As a woman, I’ve had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my worth, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt that the offer presented to me did not match the value I brought to the franchise.”
She added, “It was a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Shout fans, i love you. You have always been incredibly supportive. I will be forever grateful to you and for what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
Additionally, the producer of the sixth installment, William Sherak, recently spoke with Deadline and mentioned that as far as he is concerned, Campbell is “always welcome” to the franchise.
“We had an amazing time with her on the 5th, [so] we look at that and say she’s a spectacular part of this franchise. We want her to make the decisions that are right for her, and she will always be welcome and part of this franchise,” Sherak said.
He then continued, “I think the fun of what Jamie and Guy did in 5 and 6 proves that anyone can exist in this franchise at any time. So we watch and say, ‘This is a door, it’s open, and at any time, you can walk through the door, whoever it is, as a legacy character. We’re continuing to expand the number of legacy characters we have, and they’re all people incredible that we can bring back at any time.”
Scream VI is now showing in theaters everywhere.