The “Scream” star previously announced she was exiting the franchise after 25 years of playing Sidney Prescott. Campbell cited “negotiation” issues behind her departure ahead of “Scream 6.” Now, Campbell is clarifying exactly what happened behind the scenes. “I did not feel that what I was being offered equated to the value that I bring to this franchise, and have brought to this franchise, for 25 years,” Campbell told People. “As a woman in this business, I think it’s really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued. 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.”
She added, “In my soul, I just couldn’t do that. I couldn’t walk on set feeling that — feeling undervalued and feeling the unfairness, or lack of fairness, around that.”
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Campbell has appeared in all five “Scream” films since the original movie, directed by Wes Craven, was released in 1996. All in all, the franchise has grossed more than $744 million at the box office.
The most recent film, also titled “Scream” and helmed by Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, marked the final movie for Campbell’s fellow original cast member David Arquette. However, Courteney Cox confirmed she will reprise her role as Gale Weathers in the upcoming movie.
“Scream 6” is slated to star Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding, the four survivors of the fifth film, as they leave Woodsboro for good. “Scream 4” alum Hayden Panettiere will be back as cinephile Kirby and Dermot Mulroney joins the franchise as a police officer.
“Scream 6” is set for a March 31, 2023 release.
Campbell formerly shared in a social media post: “Sadly I won’t be making the next ‘Scream’ film. As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to ‘Scream’. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
Campbell continued, “It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my ‘Scream’ fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
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