Scream 6: First Look at Hayden Panettiere’s Return as Kirby

It was previously announced that fan-favorite Hayden Panettiere would officially be back as her Scream 4 character Kirby Reed for the upcoming sixth Scream movie, and now we have a photo of her on set! The official Scream account posted a the image using the BeReal app, featuring star Jasmin Savoy plus Panettiere. Both actresses appear to be in the hair and make-up trailer for the film, but the photo does offer us a first look at the return of Kirby Reed. Though technically absent from the fifth movie, released in theaters this past January, Panettiere’s character was referenced in a few blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Easter eggs.

2011’s Scream 4 is the lowest-grossing entry in the slasher franchise by a wide margin, but many fans of the series still have a soft spot for it, especially because of Panettiere’s horror-movie obsessed character. There were apparently plans for Kirby to return in 2022’s Scream 5 but they ended up taking a backseat, so when the news of Scream 6 became public, the actress revealed that she went to the directing team and asked to come back herself. “I called them up myself and was like ‘So… you guys don’t happen to wanna bring Kirby back, do you?’” Panettiere recently shared with Good Morning America. “I wanted to be in it that badly.”

“We did talk about it, and we really wanted to. We had a Zoom with Hayden and we really wanted to try to find a way to get her into the movie,” producer Chad Villella previously shared with The Wrap. “In fact, in that YouTube section of the movie, that was initially going to be a clip of Rian Johnson, talking about making Stab 8 with Woodsboro survivor Kirby. But we weren’t able to get all the pieces in place in time to get it into the movie. So we had to quickly pivot and Hayden was totally understandable about all that. But, we wanted to get some nod to Kirby being in the movie, and then we did get her voice to lend to the ‘to Wes’ toast.”  

Other confirmed cast members for Scream 6 include Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, and Jenna Ortega, who will reprise their roles from 2022’s Scream. Actor Dermot Mulroney is also set to appear with actress Hayden Panettiere, reprising her Scream 4 role of Kirby Reed as well. Jack Champion (Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water), Liana Liberato (Light as a Feather), Devyn Nekoda (Sneakerella), and Josh Segarra (Arrow‘s Adrian Chase) have all signed on for hte sequel as well which recently hired Mission: Impossible star Henry Czerny as well. As previously reported, Neve Campbell will not be back as Sydney Prescott, marking a first for the franchise. 

The new Scream is currently slated to hit theaters on March 31, 2023 with production still ongoing. What are you hoping to see in the next entry in the series and how do you think Kirby will fit into it? Sound off in the comments below and let us know.