Scream 6 Filmmakers Address How Neve Campbell’s Exit Changed the Movie

The newest film in the beloved Scream franchise, Scream VI, is perhaps the most unique entry in the series to-date. This movie takes place in New York City, delivers a brand new twist in its opening scene, and features the most brutal Ghostface we’ve seen so far. It’s also the first Scream film not to include franchise heroine Sidney Prescott, as star Neve Campbell was given a contract offer she didn’t feel met her contributions to the series and opted not to participate.

Sidney is mentioned in Scream VI, but Campbell doesn’t appear on-screen and doesn’t have an active role in the story. Of course, that wasn’t always the plan, seeing as Sidney Prescott is one of Scream‘s centerpieces. During a recent interview with Variety, the creative team behind Scream VI said that there were changes to the script after Campbell’s exit, but they were all fairly minor.

“This was always the story we wanted to tell, which is really exciting we were able to do it,” screenwriter James Vanderbilt explained. “The Sam and Tara sister story was always the thing we wanted to be front and center in this. We love Neve and think she’s amazing and had a great experience with her on 5. She needs to do what she needs to do as a business woman and we totally support that.”

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett went on to say that the biggest change after losing Campbell was giving more focus to the “Core Four,” aka the new young leads that were introduced in Scream 5.

“That happened early enough in the process. Credit to the script, which was structurally solid and changed very little,” Gillett said. “There wasn’t a huge pivot. I think what ultimately happened was we knew that if anything, in the absence of that character, we had to really dig deeper into the core four and make those relationships matter in a really emotional way. The goal was to try to form a connection between those characters and the audience the way that we formed a connection with Gale, Dewey and Sid. At the end of the day, that’s just about having the time and the real estate in your story to really dig deep. But no, it wasn’t a wildly dramatic pivot.”

“And there were no reshoots, because it was all very pre-production,” Bettinelli-Olpin added. “I mean, we were panicked, because we’re losing our minds. We’re like, we don’t know what we’re shooting.”

After Scream VI broke franchise records at the box office, it feels like only a matter of time before Paramount gives the green light to Scream VII. Fans are certainly hoping things can be ironed out with Campbell, allowing Sidney Prescott to return to the franchise.

Scream VI is now playing in theaters.