While Scream 8 is still in development, the meta-slasher franchise's final girl has promised to return. In an interview with AP, Neve Campbell, who has played Sidney Prescott since the first Scream film in 1996, said she'll once again play the role in the next installment from Spyglass Media and Paramount. “You know I can’t tell you anything about Scream 8,” the actress said, before clarifying, “I’ll be in it.”
Campbell’s return might seem like a no-brainer, considering how closely Sidney Prescott is tied to the Scream franchise. However, after the actress famously sat out Scream 6 over salary disputes, nothing was ever guaranteed. Now, horror fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief knowing Sidney Prescott (or Sidney Evans, if we’re using her married name) will be back for another round with Ghostface.
Her return in Scream 7, directed by franchise creator Kevin Williamson, introduced audiences to a different chapter in Sidney’s life. Now married and raising a daughter, Tatum (Isabel May), who is roughly the same age Sidney was when she first encountered Ghostface killers Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), Sidney found herself confronting the same horrors while trying to protect her family. Both Sidney and Tatum survived, leading many fans to speculate that Scream 8 could see the mother-daughter duo working together once again.
Last we heard, Lilla and Nora Zuckerman were attached to write Scream 8. The duo most recently served as showrunners on Rian Johnson’s hit Peacock series Poker Face. Their other credits include Haven, Suits, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Prodigal Son. They also created and executive-produced Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, the scrapped Hulu reboot directed by Chloé Zhao that I still mourn to this day.
Scream 7 received mixed-to-negative reviews, but it proved a major box office success. Despite multiple campaigns to boycott the film after Spyglass' polarizing decision to fire Scream 5 and 6 star Melissa Barrera, it became the highest-grossing film in franchise history and pushed the franchise into the $1 billion club. Clearly, no matter how anyone feels about the franchise’s current direction, or the ethics of continuing it at all, another sequel is happening.
As of publication, Scream 8 has yet to announce a director for the new film, but franchise co-star Courteney Cox has already pitched herself for the job. Personally, I think this is a phenomenal idea. Cox has already demonstrated strong directing abilities, and she understands the franchise better than almost anyone. If you've never seen her feature debut, Talhotblond, the Lifetime Original Movie dramatization based on the 2009 Barbara Schroeder documentary of the same name, I highly recommend it.
Cox has been the franchise’s most consistent presence since the beginning, and having her direct the next installment could provide some much-needed stability. The Scream franchise is currently at a crossroads. The planned passing of the baton from Sidney to the Carpenter sisters in Scream 5 and Scream 6 was derailed by Barrera’s firing, followed by Jenna Ortega’s departure due to scheduling conflicts with Wednesday. That forced the franchise to abandon its existing direction and double back (and double down) to Sidney Prescott.
Hopefully, with Campbell confirmed to return while Scream 8 is still in development, the filmmakers can finally establish a clear, new direction for the series within the confines of the current Spyglass era. Keeping Sidney on board is a good start, but the franchise needs more than nostalgia to remain fresh. A new perspective behind the camera, particularly from someone like Cox, could be exactly what Scream needs to get back on track.
As for why the fresh hell another Ghostface (or Ghostfaces) are coming after Prescott & Co., that's for the Zuckerman sisters to figure out. Scream 8 is currently without a release date, so keep your eyes peeled on FANGORIA for updates.
