Paramount’s plans to continue its revival of the “Scream” series will have to go on without leading star Neve Campbell, who announced on Monday that she will not return for the sixth installment of the horror series over pay issues.
“As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to ‘Scream,’” Campbell said in a statement. “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
“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,” the statement continued.
TheWrap has reached out to “Scream” producers Spyglass Media for comment. Paramount declined to comment.
Campbell has starred in all five “Scream” films as Sidney Prescott, who, in the original 1997 film, was a high school student targeted by the mysterious Ghostface, a serial killer with a deep knowledge of horror film tropes and cliches. Over the course of the series, which has a lifetime box office total of $744 million, Sidney becomes a crisis counselor and self-help book author who confronts other killers who take up the Ghostface persona.
Campbell most recently appeared in the fifth “Scream” film this past January, which started a hot streak for Paramount at the box office with $140 million grossed globally against a $24 million budget. A sixth installment has been greenlit by the studio but will now have to go on without its core protagonist.
Campbell’s departure was first reported by Deadline.