Emma Roberts ‘can’t believe’ Neve Campbell won’t be in Scream 6 due to salary dispute

Scream 4 alum Emma Roberts is still shocked that Neve Campbell decided not to reprise her role as self-help author and crisis counselor Sidney Prescott in Scream 6 due to a salary dispute.

The 31-year-old niece of Julia Roberts addressed directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett failing to make the right offer to the Canadian 48-year-old while appearing on Jake’s Takes.

‘Someone just sent me that last night, and I was like, “This can’t be real news,”‘ Emma marveled on Monday.

‘Like, this has to be fake! I mean, she’s queen. That’s all I have to say.’

Roberts – who also headed up Fox’s Scream Queens in 2015-16 – famously played Sidney’s teenage cousin Jill Roberts in the late great Wes Craven’s fourth installment back in 2011.

Neve is widely regarded as the face of the Scream franchise – which has grossed $744.5M at the box office worldwide – having starred as Sidney in the first five films.

‘Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film. As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise,’ Campbell said in a June 6 statement.

‘It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. 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.’

The Lincoln Lawyer actress famously spent a decade out of the spotlight in London after her tremendous success in the nineties from Scream, Party of Five, and The Craft.

Neve’s OG castmates from the first Scream film – Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy – have both spoken out in support of her substantial tenure amid the scandal.

‘The fact that Neve Campbell isn’t getting paid her worth is straight up sexism. I think it’s horrible. There. I said it,’ Lillard – who played Stu Macher – tweeted on Sunday.

‘Did Tom Cruise take less money for [Top Gun: Maverick]? F*** no dude. So why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn’t you pay her more as the series goes on? Was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a s*** ton of money? Yes.

‘Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she’s done in five movies of a franchise? Yes, because she’s a female lead of one of the most successful horror franchises.’

On June 7, Kennedy – who played Randy Meeks – took to YouTube to vent his frustration over ‘how twisted the system is.’

‘Sidney Prescott is the center of Scream. Neve Campbell is the face of Scream. Ghostface chasing her throughout the whole franchise,’ the 52-year-old comedian said.

‘There’s somebody in this group [of higher ups] that are being a little f***ing tight with the money, and I pretty much know who it is. It’s crazy that the people behind the scenes are not paying the money to literally the face of the franchise and it’s people who weren’t involved from the get-go. This is everything that’s wrong with the business.’

On June 6, David Arquette – who played Dewey Riley – told ComicBook.com that the Scream 6 scandal was ‘kind of unfortunate’ but he ‘understood her decision.’

‘It’s all a business in a way, they have to balance all these elements to fit a budget and produce a film,’ Arquette explained.

‘I get it, she’s still alive! She [can] absolutely be in future ones, but I think it’s up to fans to call for that in the future…That is sudden, it’s a business, though. I respect her decision, for sure.’

Production on the sixth slasher – hitting US theaters March 31, 2023 – began June 10 in Montreal with Courteney Cox, Hayden Panettiere, Dermot Mulroney, Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, and Jenna Ortega.

Meanwhile, Campbell will be in in New Orleans on/off through September 2 filming her recurring role as goth driver Raven in Peacock’s small-screen adaptation of the vehicular combat video game, Twisted Metal.

Twisted Metal showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith gushed on May 20: ‘And now we have our Raven! I cannot wait for all of you to see how f***ing bada** she is in our show.’

The high-octane action comedy will also star Will Arnett, Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, and Thomas Haden Church.

One the personal front, the former ballerina has two sons – Caspian, 9; and Raynor, 4 – with Lost in Space actor JJ Feild, whom she began dating in 2011.