'Scream' Fans Support Matthew Lillard's Comments About Neve Campbell

Actress Neve Campbell shocked “Scream” fans earlier this year when she revealed that she would not be appearing in the upcoming “Scream 6.”

Campbell served as the movie’s star, Sidney Prescott, in the film’s four movies; however, she did seem to take a backseat in “Scream 5” to give the newcomers to the franchise a chance in the spotlight.

As reported by Deadline, Campbell said, “Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film” due to a contract dispute. Although the global franchise has grossed over $744 million dollars, it seems they couldn't reach an agreement as to how much her return was worth.

“As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream,” she continued. “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”

“It’s been a very difficult decision to move on,” she said. “To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me.”

Campbell added, “I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”

An inside source told The Blast that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett had been counting on her to return. As such, changes are going to need to be made to the script which could result in production delays.

Matthew Lillard, who first starred as one of the villains in the original 1996 movie, expressed his support for Campbell during a Twitter Spaces chat with Midnite Movie Club, as reported by PEOPLE.

"Did Tom Cruise take less money for [Top Gun: Maverick]? F— no, dude. So, why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn't you pay her more as the series goes on?" Lillard asked.

"Was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a s— ton of money?" he asked. "Yes."

"Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she's done in five movies of a franchise? Yes, because she's a female lead of one of the most successful horror franchises," Lillard added.

Many fans appreciated Lillard's honest take on the situation and showed support for him online.

A horror movie Facebook page called Donut’s Scary Movie Night put Lillard’s comments over a photo of a scene the two shared together in the original “Scream” film. The post quickly went viral, with over 136K reactions, 3.4K comments, and over 21,000 shares.

One fan commented, “He’s a stand-up guy, always loved him! Neve is literally the life of the franchise, they will see this.”

“I mean the franchise is based around her,” another pointed out. “It’s nothing without her. Good luck with it being a success.”

“She is definitely setting an example!” another fan said of Campbell. “Women can be too ‘agreeable’ when it comes to how much a woman will be paid! Women should not let people walk over them, but push for what you deserve.”

“And that's one of the reasons I love Matthew Lillard,” another fan commented. “He is so underappreciated. Such an awesome guy! Neve Campbell definitely deserves the money!”

“Saw Scream 2022. Loved Neve and Courtney,” another fan shared. “Zero chance of me watching the next one without Neve. Zero.”

“She literally IS the franchise,” another fan pointed out. “I’m disgusted by the idea of them not considering instantly to pay her a fair amount for her role to come. You can't have much of Scream without Sidney.”

“It's like making Grey's without Ellen Pompeo. It's the story of HER life,” another fan wrote. “It doesn't make sense when you kill the lead. Also he is SO right. She carried those films. I don't think Matthew has ever gotten the credit he deserves. His love action portrayal of Shaggy is gravely understated he is an incredible character actor.”

Although Lillard’s character passed away in the first movie and Campbell won’t make a return in the next “Scream” films, it seems that fans still appreciate these two incredible actors and would love to see them share the screen once again… as long as Ghostface isn’t involved, of course.