The Scream franchise continues to pay homage to members of the franchise’s past while also balancing the contributions of the new crew that showed up in the surprisingly successful Scream – the 2022 one, not the 1996 classic. The fifth Scream had a slew of new faces in its cast that joined series founders Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette… as well as several stars from the 1996 film who made vocal appearances through very clever audio Easter eggs. And even though Campbell has said she will not return for Scream 6 thanks to a reported contractual dispute, we do know that Scream 4 standout Hayden Panettiere is reprising her role, and now we have our first look at her in production.
Scream co-star Jasmin Savoy Brown, who played Mindy Meeks in the 2022 repeat-quel, took over the official Scream account on the social app BeReal (via People) and posted the following image of Hayden Panettiere in the hair and makeup trailer for Scream 6. Kirby Reed is ready for her close up!
Underneath the photography, Jasmin Savoy Brown added the following caption:
Will Mindy & Kirby be friends?? Hayden thinks yes, I think no.
And one of the reasons why we are so excited for Scream 6 is to find out how an O.G. like Hayden Panettiere will fit in alongside the new crew, especially since Neve Campbell confirmed she isn’t part of the upcoming movie. There will be a massive hole to fill, and Courteney Cox could take on a larger role, but our guess will be that the filmmakers behind Scream 6 will increase the part of Kirby Reed, a fan-favorite character from a hotly contested Scream sequel.
Depending on when you caught up with the Scream franchise, your opinion on Scream 4 probably varies. While definitely the most meta of the series, the fact that Scream 4 tried to be a reboot AND a remake had some fans scratching their heads and others cheering the fresh direction. When it comes to the character of Kirby Reed, in particular, Scream fans often argued about whether or not she survived the movie, having seen her get stabbed and left to bleed out in this scene.
Now we know for certain that Kirby is back, and we have a shot of Hayden Panettiere on set… but not an official look at Kirby as she will appear in Scream 6. Let’s hope that happens sooner rather than later. We also are holding out hope that Neve Campbell can repair relationships and settle on a deal to return for Scream 6, as is being rumored. Scream isn’t Scream without Sidney Prescott, no matter how many new cast members they get to join the sequel. We compiled all of the facts you need to know about Scream 6, which should help keep you busy while you wait for the sequel to arrive in theaters on March 31, 2023.