Neve Campbell Welcome To Return To 'Scream' Franchise, Says Screenwriter: 'Door Is Wide Open'

With "Scream VI" set to finally premiere on March 10, it is confirmed that fans will not see Neve Campbell in the slasher movie, sadly.

Campbell played Sidney Prescott in the Wes Craven film and reprised her role in the second to fifth installments, starring for twenty-five years, before taking a shocking bow from the franchise last year.

Despite her surprise exit, screenwriter Kevin Williamson maintains that there is still room for her to return whenever she feels like making a comeback.

During the New York premiere of "Scream VI" on Monday, March 6, Williamson touched on Campbell taking a leave from the franchise after over two decades.  "There's always room for her to come back," he told Page Six at the event.

"You know, the door is wide open, and if she ever wants to come to play with us again, we're here. The creator added that the actress was his good friend and always stayed in touch.

As you might know, Campbell announced her shocking departure from the film series in a statement last June. "Sadly, I won't be making the next 'Scream' film," she said. "As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to 'Scream.'"

The 49-year-old further explained that she felt the offer given to her "did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."

Despite her painful exit, Williamson isn't the only one hopeful for a return of the horror queen. Other "Scream" stars, such as Jenna Ortega, share the same sentiment. Ortega stars as Tara Carpenter in the new installment.

The "Wednesday" actress was disappointed that the Canadian star will not appear in the sixth installment, as she told Elle magazine, "It was really unfortunate. Especially because Neve is the coolest, sweetest, most talented lady. The franchise wouldn't be what it is without her."

Another OG cast of the horror movie, Courteney Cox, has similar thoughts about Campbell's absence from the franchise and what that meant for the movie as well as herself.  Cox plays Gale Weathers in the franchise, and while she reprised her role in the latest installment, she supports her co-star's decision to exit.

In a discussion with Variety last month, the "Friends" alum admitted that the filming was different without the former lead star. "I missed working with her," she shared, "but I'm going to support whatever she feels is right." Cox went on to speak about her role in the movie, revealing that she had an "amazing" scene with the murdering character, Ghostface.  

"I've obviously been stabbed many times and all that," she continued. "But this time, to work with Ghostface and not know who's under the mask, it was really fun."

The Alabama native dropped no spoilers but revealed several details to keep fans in high spirits for the film's release, assuring them that the Canadian actress' absence won't negatively affect the movie.

Over a month after Campell announced her leave from the "Scream" franchise, she shed more light on her decision in a candid interview with People Magazine. The 49-year-old emphasized the unfair offer she received for the new movie, which she touched on in her exit announcement.

She opened up about feeling undervalued as a woman in the industry and claimed that her pay would have been different if she were a man with such years given to the franchise. "As a woman in this business," she elaborated, "I think it's really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued." 

Campbell added, "I honestly don't believe that if I were a man and had done five installments of a huge blockbuster franchise over 25 years, that the number that I was offered would be the number that would be offered to a man."

The "House of Cards" star shared that she could not bring herself to walk on set feeling like she was not worth much and maltreated despite how much she wanted her fans to see her in the new installment. Luckily, her brave move was cheered by several of her colleagues including Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy.