Neve Campbell is leaving the Scream film franchise after 26 years over a pay dispute.
The Wild Things actress, 48, has announced that she doesn’t think the salary offer for her appearance in the sixth installment of the long-running slasher series is equivalent to the value she brought to the movies .
She also spoke about the difficulties of establishing herself “as a woman” in the film industry and the Scream series.
Neve said in a statement released today (June 6): “Unfortunately, I will not be doing the next Scream movie.
“As a woman, I’ve had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my worth, especially when it comes to Scream.
“I felt that the offer presented to me did not match the value I brought to the franchise.
“It was a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You have always been incredibly supportive of me. I am forever grateful to you and what this franchise has given me through the past 25 years.”
Neve has played the terrorized main protagonist of the Scream series, Sidney Prescott, in all five films since 1996, and recently reprized the role in the reboot released this year.
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It grossed $140 million (S$193 million) at the box office against a budget of $24 million, with the last five films in the franchise generating ticket sales of $744.5 million.
Neve previously told Entertainment Tonight that she wasn’t sure if she would return for the sixth film.
She added, “I don’t know if I am,” before saying she “can’t get into it.”
His comments followed the death of creator Wes Craven, killed by a brain tumor in 2016 four weeks before his 76th birthday.
The director’s original Scream about the knife killer wearing a Ghostface mask was credited with resurrecting the slasher genre and grossed $173 million in the United States on a $15 million budget.
It was reported that Neve received a total of $9 million for the first three films – $1,500,000 for the first, $3,500,000 for the second, and $4,000,000 for the third.
It’s unclear how much she earned from the fourth and fifth installments, but it’s common in Hollywood to have “bottom deals.”
They see major stars lowering their salary bills in exchange for a percentage of box office receipts, especially in the case of lucrative franchises.
Neve’s exit comes as Dermot Mulroney, 58, was today named as the latest actor to join the cast of the sixth Scream film, with The Hollywood Reporter saying the My Best Friend’s Wedding star will play a cop.
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The film’s most recent reboot brought Neve back with original stars, including Friends actress Courteney Cox, 57, who plays TV journalist Gale Weathers, and the actress’ real-life ex-husband David Arquette , 50, who has resumed his role as a throatless cop. Deputy Officer Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley.
Production on the sixth slasher movie is set to begin this summer, and Courteney is still attached to the project.
Newcomers from the latest restart are also set to return, including Melissa Barrera, 31, Jasmin Savoy Brown, 28 and Jenna Ortega, 19.
Courteney told Entertainment Tonight that she thinks the plot for the next film is top notch, adding, “I don’t know about the contracts and where things are at, but I’ll tell you in the script – c is really good.”
