Right now, Scream 7 is all but dead. Following the firing of star Melissa Barrera and the departure of co-star Jenna Ortega, the studio executives over at Spyglass were in a bind. With Scream 6, they lost franchise mainstay Neve Campbell after salary negotiations failed (basically, they didn’t offer Campbell her worth after leading the series for two, almost three, decades). However, it did little to erode the sixth entry’s critical or financial success. In our review, Josh Korngut called it, “the best sequel of the franchise.” Not accounting for inflation, it’s the third-highest-grossing release in the series.
Scream 7’s chances were further eroded when director Christopher Landon departed the project in December of this year, a month after Barrera was removed and Ortega bowed out. It’s a bad time to be a Scream fan, basically. While both legacy sequels were smash hits, the franchise is now all but dead on arrival. Mostly.
Recently, however, Neve Campbell revealed to Marc Malkin at Variety that she would be open to returning to the franchise under the “right circumstances.” Regarding the franchise’s present state, Campbell remarked, “I honestly don’t have no idea what their plans are. I know a lot has gone on around it and I’m sure they’re spinning a little bit at the moment.”
The conversation continued with Campbell touching on her understanding of both the franchise and what it means to the fans, saying, “These movies mean a lot to us and they mean a lot to the fans. I go to these conventions sometimes and I meet the fans and they’re frantic about these films. They love them. These films mean a lot to them and these characters mean a lot to them. So even for their sake, I would love to see it continue.”
Whether the series continues or not remains to be seen. Beyond casting difficulties, anyone who has spent time online likely knows Spyglass has considerably more to do than announce a new cast or director. The news, especially as it relates to Barrera, has soured the franchise for many fans online.
Neve Campbell, however, wouldn’t be “surprised” to get a call to return now, according to an interview with Chris Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter. She added, “If they were to come back to me, it would have to be with a respectful offer that I felt was in keeping with what I bring to this franchise.”
Fans have been reacting to the recent comments. Check out some choice reactions below:
https://twitter.com/ausss1n/status/1744893369032364322?s=20
What do you think? Would you return to Scream if Neve Campbell did? Or, like many feel, do you think it’s best to lay the franchise to rest? Sound off over @Chadiscollins on Twitter and let me know!
Categorized: News
