Neve Campbell quits Scream franchise with blistering public statement

Campbell, seen here in Scream 4, has been with the franchise for 25 years. Photo / AP

Neve Campbell, who played the iconic role of Sidney Prescott in the iconic slasher film franchise Scream, has made a scathing announcement detailing why she will not be returning for a sixth instalment.

In a statement to US news outlet Page Six, Campbell revealed she made the "very difficult decision" to turn down the offer to return for the next film in the franchise.

"Sadly, I won't be making the next Scream film," she said. "As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream."

The actress portrayed Sidney Prescott in the first five movies, and added that she felt the offer presented to her "did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise".

Campbell had previously spoken about her pay disputes making the Scream franchise. Photo / AP

"It's been a very difficult decision to move on," she continued. "To all my Scream fans, I love you. You've always been so incredibly supportive to me. I'm forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years."

Campbell, 48, has previously spoken about her struggles to receive fair compensation throughout her career.

In an interview with Jamie Lee Curtis for Variety magazine, she said: "There's always the promise of back end [pay].

"And then, of course, it's drowned in publicity and costs and all the reasons they say, 'Oh, actually no, we didn't make the amount of money that we're claiming we made in all the press, so that we don't have to give you that,' unfortunately."

The scream queen recalled her experience on 2000's Scream Three, explaining how she "did all right" financially but didn't receive a back-end deal.

She blamed Harvey Weinstein as the architect of her misfortune, telling Curtis: "It was the Weinsteins."

Scream Six was recently green-lit by Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media. The film is expected to start production in June with a release date of March 31, 2023.