Neve Campbell's New Role Amid 'Scream 6' Exit Revealed
Neve Campbell is saying goodbye to Woodsboro, California and hello to Catalina Island. Amid continued chatter about her Scream 6 exit, the actress has been cast as the lead in ABC's upcoming drama series Avalon, which received a straight-to-series order from the network in February and is from Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley.
Based on Michael Connelly's short story, Avalon takes place in the city of Avalon on Catalina Island. Campbell will star as L.A. Sheriff's Department Detective Nicole "Nic" Searcy, the lone detective assigned to the Catalina Island substation, according to Deadline. Per the show's official synopsis, "Catalina has a local population that serves more than 1 million tourists a year, and each day when the ferries arrive, hundreds of potential new stories enter the island. Detective Searcy is pulled into a career-defining mystery that will challenge everything she knows about herself and the island."
Campbell's Nic is described as "inscrutable" and as someone who "isn't easily intimidated and holds firm to her morals." Nic has a strong moral compass, which got her banished to Catalina's biggest city, Avalon, where she now heads up a small office. "It's a gig no career-driven L.A. cop wants, but Nic soon discovers her valuable detective skills are needed more on Avalon than she could have imagined."
At this time, further casting for the series has not been announced. Avalon is created and executive produced by Kelley, who wrote the pilot episode, and Connelly. Dana Calvo, Barry Jossen, and Tana Jamieson also serve as executive producers. The series is set to premiere as part of ABC's 2022-23 programming slate, though an exact premiere date has not yet been announced.
The casting follows news that Campbell – who is also tapped to reprise her role as Maggie McPherson in Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 and is filming a recurring role opposite Anthony Mackie in Peacock's Twisted Metal – will not appear in Scream 6. After the film was confirmed to be in the works, Campbell confirmed in June, "Sadly I won't be making the next Scream film," explaining that she "felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise." Campbell later shared that she turned down a Scream 6 return after "feeling undervalued." Her exit earned the support of her fellow Scream stars, including Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy.