‘Scream 7’ to Star Neve Campbell

Surprise, Sidney: Neve Campbell is back for another Scream.

Just when it looked like the franchise might have been done entirely — with multiple stars along with the director either dropping out or getting fired — the slasher franchise’s original star has returned to headline what will be the seventh Scream movie.

Campbell had previously appeared in the first five Scream movies as Sidney Prescott, the original target of Ghostface, and his perpetual enemy through the subsequent sequels. She was originally slated to appear in Scream VI as well, but then she decided not to return, saying in a statement “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.”

Scream VI instead continued on with the new cast of characters introduced in Scream (that was Scream V, it had a confusing title) including Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega as a pair of teen sisters with a connection to Ghostface of their own. Scream VI was another box-office hit, but then Barrera was fired, reportedly for posts in support of Palestine that were accused of being antisemitic. Not long after Ortega said she would not be back for the film because she was too busy working on the second season of her hit Netflix show Wednesday.

With both of the franchise’s new stars gone, that put Campbell in a much stronger bargaining position — and lo and behold she announced on her instagram that she was returning to star in the film.

“I’m so excited to announce this news!!!” she wrote. “Sidney Prescott is coming back!”

Campbell’s picture confirmed another very interesting development: Scream creator Kevin Williamson is directing the sequel. Williamson wrote the original Scream and contributed to several of the sequels, but has never directed one of the films before.

“Kevin Williamson is going to direct Scream 7! This was his baby and it’s brilliant mind that dreamt up this world ... To the amazing Scream fans, I hope you are as excited as I am.”