Scream VI Featured Kirby Because Hayden Panettiere Called the Directors

After Scream 4 was released in theaters back in 2011, Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed became a fan-favorite character from the franchise. Kirby was gutted by her friend Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin) in the fourth film, but she was never shown officially dead or rescued, so Scream fans spent the next decade calling for her return. When the fifth Scream was released last year, an easter egg confirmed Kirby was still alive, and fans were thrilled when her return was officially announced last year. While Scream (2022) and Scream VI directors, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, have said they considered having Panettiere make a cameo in the previous film, it was ultimately Panettiere who made Kirby’s return happen. 

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do next,” Panettiere shared with Good Morning America. “I did have to take those four years off, and thank god I did. I had to work on myself – my mental health, my physical health, my spiritual health. And then when [‘Scream’] popped up and came back around, I was like, ‘I want to be a part of that again because I hoped that Kirby was still alive. I willed her back into existence and I called them.”

Does Kirby Survive Sceam VI? 

Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Kirby was put through the wringer in the new film. Not only was she shot by Detective Bailey (Dermot Mulroney), but she was also stabbed with the same knife that got her back in Scream 4. However, Kirby still managed to survive the movie, and as she’s being put into an ambulance, she tells Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Carpenter) that they can call her anytime now that they’re a part of “the same f*cked up family.” 

Will There Be a Scream 7? 

Currently, there is no official word on if there will be another Scream movie. However, they announced Scream VI less than a month after the release of Scream (2022), and considering the new movie is expected to do well at the box office, we wouldn’t be surprised if another film was announced soon. At Monday’s red carpet premiere for Scream VI, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett revealed they’d love to return to the franchise once again with Scream VII. “We hope,” Bettinelli-Olpin told Deadline. “We want to be watching Scream movies whether we’re involved or not for the rest of our lives.” Gillett added, “We’re so happy it’s back.”

Scream VI is now playing in theaters.