‘Scream’ Alum to Return to Franchise for First Movie in 8 Years

Scream 6 is bringing back an unexpected character! Hayden Panettiere has joined the film, reprising her role as Kirby Reed from Scream 4, Deadline reports, marking her first movie role in eight years. Along with Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott and Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, Panettiere’s Kirby is one of the only other notable past Scream figures to survive a showdown with Ghostface.

The news of Panettiere’s casting comes just one day after it was revealed that Scream 5 (Sam), Jenna Ortega (Tara), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy), and Mason Gooding (Chad) will all return for Scream 6. The film is set to begin filming this summer and is currently scheduled to debut in theatres on March 31, 2023. The new movie will be directed by the filmmaking team Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — who also helmed Scream 5 — from a script by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick.

“We are tremendously grateful to the fans around the world who enthusiastically received our film. We can’t wait for audiences to see what Radio Silence, writers Jamie & Guy and Project X have in store for our Woodsboro family,” film studios Paramount and Spyglass said in a joint statement on the sequel news. Radio Silence added, “Working with such a wonderful and talented family of creators – and in the lineage, Wes [Craven] and Kevin [Williamson] so expertly built – has been the thrill of a lifetime, and we’re so excited to bring the next chapter in the Scream saga to life.”

In Scream (2021), Woodsboro teen Tara (Ortega) is stalked and attacked by Ghostface. This becomes just the first in a new string of bloody crimes committed by the iconic horror character. Dewey (David Arquette), who is no longer sheriff of Woodsboro, contacts Sidney (Campbell) and Gail (Cox) — now his ex-wife — to let them know what’s happening. The chaos and bloodshed bring the final three survivors back together once more, as they are the only ones who’ve withstood the onslaught of each series of Ghostface’s murder sprees. 

In addition to Campbell, Cox, and Arquette, Roger L. Jackson returned as the voice of Ghostface, and Marley Shelton reprised her role as Judy Hicks from Scream 4. The newest Scream film is currently available to stream on Paramount+. Anyone who may be interested in trying out a free trial of the streaming service can do so by clicking here.