SCREAM 4 Standout Hayden Panettiere To Return As Kirby Reed For SCREAM 6

SCREAM 4 Standout Hayden Panettiere To Return As Kirby Reed For SCREAM 6

It looks like Scream 6 will be digging deeper into the Scream mythology, as Hayden Panettiere has now signed on to reprise her fan-favorite role as Kirby Reed in the upcoming sixth installment.

News
By RohanPatel - May 11, 2022 08:05 PM EST
Filed Under: Scream
Source: fearhq.com

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Hayden Panettiere has joined the cast of the upcoming Scream sequel, the sixth installment in the iconic horror franchise, where she'll reprise her fan-favorite role as Kirby Reed from Scream 4. 

The news comes on the heels of yesterday's report that Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks-Martin), and Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks-Martin) will all also return for chapter six.

Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) will be back in the director's chair, once again utilizing a screenplay from James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. 

Still no word on whether fellow surviving legacy cast members Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott) and/or Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) will be returning for the yet-to-be-titled sequel, but we wouldn't rule out the possibility just yet. 

While plot details are under heavy lock-and-key, it looks like the next film will not take place in Woodsboro, as an early synopsis says the film, “continues with the four survivors of the Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.” Of course, unfortunately for them, Ghostface will be right on their tails. 

Production on the sixth film is set to begin in the next few weeks, so expect a lot more casting news in the coming days.

Scream (2022) was one of this year's biggest box office smashes, grossing over $140 million worldwide on an estimated $24 million production budget, and successfully reviving the classic horror franchise after a decade-long hiatus. 

Scream 6 is set to hit theaters on March 31, 2023.

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MV081199
MV081199 - 5/11/2022, 8:07 PM
Wonder if the movie will be able to hide the killers well.
CurlyBill
CurlyBill - 5/11/2022, 8:13 PM
I was never the biggest Kirby fan, but I do always like when Scream brings back characters from previous films.

I still can't help but feel a giant dewey sized piece missing from the cast. I know they needed to kill one of the trio off in the last film, but I still think it should have been Gale. It would have completed her arc from a selfish fame seeking journalist to some one who would willing give there life for the people they care for.
ForceofWakanda
ForceofWakanda - 5/11/2022, 8:33 PM
I watched Scream 5 not too long ago and it was quite literally one of the most derivative movies of all time lmao

It's generally well received by audiences and critics too, it's just amusing to me how much people talk about marvel or comic book movies being factory-like and completely gloss over how extremely formulaic the horror genre is
Origame
Origame - 5/11/2022, 8:41 PM
@ForceofWakanda - that actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Look at the new wave of horror movies we've got from get out to a quiet place. They all are going pretty firmly against the tropes of the past and really don't have much in common outside of being scary.

It's become so unique in the new landscape that ironically movies like scream and Halloween can stick out by returning to those tropes.
SheepishOne
SheepishOne - 5/11/2022, 9:15 PM
@ForceofWakanda - Scream was intentionally derivative and acknowledges its own tropes at several points throughout the film. Dewey literally tells the audience and the other characters who the killer is in the first act of the film.

You've got to really embed yourself in the lore, but Scream 5 is a great commentary on the current state of the "Legacy Sequel" and reboots, to the point where the satire goes beyond horror and even bleeds into stuff like Star Wars.
AaronianKenrod
AaronianKenrod - 5/11/2022, 10:42 PM
@SheepishOne - the film is even copying the trope of naming itself after the original movie, every criticism I’ve seen so far has been completely intentional.
Origame
Origame - 5/11/2022, 8:37 PM
But...she died. Unless she's one of the killers I really don't see the point in retconning scream 4 so she survived.
cocaegelo
cocaegelo - 5/11/2022, 8:39 PM
@Origame - She did not died. Even since the release of Scream 4 everybody involved with the movie was "Yeah, we didn't see the body and nobody talked about her" - the movie just forgets about her.
And then in Scream 5(5cream or THE Scream hahaha) there is a scene that shows that Kirby is alive.
Origame
Origame - 5/11/2022, 8:49 PM
@cocaegelo - but...it's a plot point in scream 4. Jill planned on being the sole survivor, and Kirby risked that by either giving an account that went against her story or just taking the spotlight from her.

And it doesn't make sense that Dewey wouldn't tell her her best friend is actually alive.
SheepishOne
SheepishOne - 5/11/2022, 9:09 PM
@Origame - It wouldn't be a retcon, considering you never see her die on screen. That's one of Screams internal rules. If you don't physically see someone die, there is a good chance they didn't. Regardless (or especially) if the other characters assume they died.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 5/11/2022, 9:11 PM
@Origame - Kirby isn't developed to know anything that goes against Jill's account. We don't know if Jill knew she was alive or wasn't told. But Sidney knew that Jill was the killer, which Kirby wasn't developed to know or suspect, so if she did know Kirby was alive, Kirby wouldn't be a priority, if so. Charlie stabbing Kirby falls in line with Jill's setup that Charlie and Trevor were the killers.
Origame
Origame - 5/11/2022, 9:15 PM
@SheepishOne - it's a retcon because that's very clearly what they were going for. Anytime they pulled that off they revealed the person in question was alive in the movie they supposedly died in.
SheepishOne
SheepishOne - 5/11/2022, 9:22 PM
@Origame - A retcon would imply that Kirby was definitely dead. She was stabbed a few times, and that's all we know. Even in the commentary for Scream 4, Wes Craven suggests Kirby is still alive. And fans have been saying it for years.

There's more evidence in-universe and outside the film that she lived.
Origame
Origame - 5/11/2022, 9:25 PM
@dagenspear - you have to remember, Jill planned on being the sole survivor. Meaning what she let Kirby see and experience wasn't meant to be used as evidence. Maybe she says Trevor was somewhere he wasn't, maybe the charlie/Trevor interactions don't make sense given what Jill said about their partnership. She was ultimately caught because she knew slightly more information than she could have. It really doesn't take much. Kirby is still a loose end. Not to mention taking her spotlight, which is the entire motivation.

Also, while I agree Sydney is definitely a priority, she ultimately found this out from Dewey. It doesn't make sense Dewey wouldn't also comfort her by saying Kirby was alive too.
Origame
Origame - 5/11/2022, 9:33 PM
@SheepishOne - ...no. it just has to go against the original intention. And considering we only learned about her surviving in a sequel made by a completely different team.

Also, craven expressed interest in using her later. Fans took it to mean she survived. And the script itself had her die.
SheepishOne
SheepishOne - 5/11/2022, 10:04 PM
@Origame - Which original intention are you referring to?

Also, it wasn't a case of fans interpreting meaning from a vague statement by Wes. He was asked directly on Twitter if Kirby died, and his response was "no, I don't think so. she was still moving when we cut away from her."

Straight from the horse's mouth.
Origame
Origame - 5/12/2022, 4:11 AM
@dagenspear - 1) again, any minor detail. Also, just taking the spotlight.

2) we see Dewey talking to her. No mention (unless he decided to reveal kirby was alive before all of that, in which case should've been a priority then, and she doesn't seem to care).
Origame
Origame - 5/12/2022, 4:15 AM
@SheepishOne - dude, I already said the very script said she died. Also, notice the wording "I don't think so". This is coming across more as him trying to justify bringing her back for the sequel, which would still be a retcon.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 5/12/2022, 4:18 AM
@Origame - Her having planned doesn't mean that she succeeded. Nothing Kirby was developed to have seen contradicted Jill's plan. It'd make no sense for Kirby to be a priority for Jill in this situation. Sidney is more of an issue for her plan, because Sidney knows Jill is one of the killers.

Dewey and Jill's conversation wasn't about Kirby or anyone else. Jill mentioned that she wishes Sidney were a survivor too and Dewey says they're not sure yet and all that.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 5/12/2022, 4:19 AM
@Origame - Not one that Jill would have much of a reason to focus on in this current situation.

Jill brings up Sidney. Dewey speaks on what Jill brought up.
Origame
Origame - 5/12/2022, 4:25 AM
@dagenspear - 1) yeah. Which is why she'd want to fix her plan when learning she's alive.

2) again, such a minor detail got her caught. And the spotlight is enough motivation. Yes, Sydney would be more of one, but then that confirms Dewey didn't say kirby was alive, which makes no sense if she actually survived.

3) ...that conversation was about comforting Jill over what had happened. Hence why he mentioned Sydney survived. Even just then it doesn't make sense he doesn't also state that kirby is alive. We're talking about her best friend.
Origame
Origame - 5/12/2022, 4:56 AM
@dagenspear - look, considering the conversation he was having with Dewey, kirby would need to have been brought up. It would make no sense not to, and since he only brought Sydney up at the end of it, that would mean he'd have to have brought her up before we heard him speak. And she has zero interest in finishing her off
dagenspear
dagenspear - 5/12/2022, 6:11 AM
@Origame - There's nothing, as far as developed, that'd need to be fixed.

A minor detail about the situation she was involved in about someone else. Not about something in connection to the Kirby situation. Nothing Jill is developed to do around Kirby contradicts her story about Trevor and Charlie, as far as I think the movie shows.

In that line up, Jill brought up Sidney. Dewey addressed her words about Sidney, in that part of the conversation. Yes, she brought up Kirby earlier in the conversation, but that doesn't change that it's not confirmed that she's dead in the structure of the movie, and, I think, it was even suggested she could not be in the commentary for the movie.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 5/12/2022, 6:13 AM
@Origame - In the context of that line of conversation, it was started by Jill, about Sidney. Dewey followed Jill's line of conversation. That part's not about Kirby.
Origame
Origame - 5/12/2022, 6:49 AM
@dagenspear - ok, now I'm just gonna address this to you as a person. If you knew someone who was a survivor in a mass murder and you also knew her best friend survived as well, would you not tell them? Especially when bringing up another survivor?
SheepishOne
SheepishOne - 5/12/2022, 8:16 AM
@Origame - idk what else to say, man. Seems like you're ready to die on this hill.

If it's that important to you that Kirby didn't survive Scre4m, then I guess from your perspective, sure. It's a retcon. I don't recall reading anything in the script saying one way or the other, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

From my perspective, it's always been an unanswered question, canonically. And now we know what happened. Seems Wes left the loose thread with an intention of tying it up later, and these new guys want to run with it. I'm more than happy, as she was my favorite new character in 4.

So I'll agree to disagree.

By the way, I'm sure you're aware. But there's similar discussion in the fan community about whether or not Stu is definitely dead. There's a world out there in which Stu comes back for revenge, and I believe he was even in an early draft of 3. So if you're having trouble accepting Kirby, get ready to confront a scarred up Stu.
Origame
Origame - 5/12/2022, 8:20 AM
@SheepishOne - ...do you not understand what a retcon is?
SheepishOne
SheepishOne - 5/12/2022, 9:07 AM
@Origame - I'm well aware of what a retcon is. Stu returning, for example, would be a retcon. Characters in subsequent films have mentioned Stu's death, and it's generally understood in-universe that he didn't survive the tv falling on him (a great way for him to die, I'll add).

Kirby surviving is not a retcon. Or at least, the idea of Kirby's survival is not a retcon. If they explain it by saying she was wearing a padded vest underneath her shirt in 4, or something like that, then sure. But nobody acknowledges her death or refers to her as dead in Scream 4 or 5 (5 does the opposite, in fact).

There's continuity, and there's retroactive continuity. I've always considered retconning to be taking something that's previously established as canon and giving new information/explanation as to how it happened. I.e. giving Kirby a padded vest that no one knew about and the audience never sees.

But Kirby's death was never canon. It was a big question mark.

Let me ask you this: if Scream 4 ended on a cliffhanger before the audience learned who the killer was, and Scream 5 opened with the killer reveal, would you consider that a retcon? I would not.
Origame
Origame - 5/12/2022, 9:19 AM
@SheepishOne - dude are you serious? How is it a retcon for stu but not for kirby? You even had to justify it by saying it'd be explained later she was wearing something she obviously isn't.
SheepishOne
SheepishOne - 5/12/2022, 10:13 AM
@Origame - I just explained how it would be a retcon for Stu but not Kirby.

The movies acknowledge Stu is dead. Gale wrote about it in her books. Characters bring it up. The movies never even once acknowledge Kirby is dead. It's open-ended.

And I didn't say it would be explained by Kirby wearing something she isn't. I gave that as an example of a retcon. If Scream 6 simply says the stabs didn't kill her, then it's regular continuity. We've seen characters come back from worse. Stabbing =\= killing.
Origame
Origame - 5/12/2022, 10:33 AM
@SheepishOne - just implying she died is enough. Unless this was always the plan to bring her back in a later film, then it's a retcon.
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