Scream 6 executive producer Kevin Williamson reveals that getting Kirby back for the upcoming film was difficult because he literally couldn’t find actor Hayden Panettiere. After the first entry revolutionized the horror genre back in 1996, the hit franchise now consists of five films in total. Kirby was last seen in 2011’s Scream 4, with her fate left up in the air at the end of the film. Now, Kirby is set to return in the upcoming sixth entry alongside Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers and newcomers including Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), and Chad (Mason Gooding).
In a recent interview with Variety, Williamson, who wrote the first two franchise entries and now serves as an executive producer, reveals that getting Panettiere back as Kirby in Scream 6 was difficult because they couldn’t figure out how to actually get in touch with her. Since Panettiere didn’t have an agent, he explains that he got lucky by connecting with some crew members who had worked with her on Nashville. Check out Williamson’s full comment on getting Panettiere back as Kirby below:
“We’re like, ‘Where’s Kirby?’ We couldn’t find her. She doesn’t have an agent. She had sort of disappeared. I called up my producer in Nashville and said, ‘Do you know Hayden Panettiere, by any chance? Because we can’t find her!’ He’s like, ‘Oh yeah, let me call her.’ And then they called back and it was like, ‘Alright, found her!’
“There’s so much speculation about what her participation is in the movie and I love it. We should just let it live until the movie.”
Everything We Know About Scream 6
While franchise regular Sidney was initially supposed to return in the upcoming film, Campbell ended up rejecting her salary offer, expressing that the amount ultimately didn’t represent the value she had brought to the franchise for so many years. With Dewey having been killed in Scream (2022), Gale is now the only legacy character left of the original three. While it’s still unclear just how big of a role she will have in Scream 6, the recent trailer suggests she will get at least one standout Ghostface fight sequence. Also returning from the most recent franchise entry are directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet and screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick.
One of the biggest changes in Scream 6 is, of course, the new setting. Instead of taking place in the small town of Woodsboro, as all previous franchise installments have, the upcoming movie is moving the action to New York City. As the first teaser and most recent trailer have shown off, the new setting is quite a major departure from the previous films, but one that allows Ghostface to hunt his prey in new, more terrifying ways. Scream 6 also seems to be incorporating New York City’s large population into the story as well, with multiple sequences involving innocent bystanders. With so many more people involved in the action this time around, Scream 6‘s body count could end up being significantly higher than previous entries.
Why Kirby Could Be Returning In Scream 6
Details regarding Kirby’s return are currently being kept under wraps and the character features very sparingly in the trailer. After being left for dead in Scream 4 it’s possible that Kirby returns to help defeat whoever the new Ghostface is, thus saving a new generation of victims. Considering the franchise’s frequent rug-pulls and big twists, however, Kirby may have far more sinister motivations in Scream 6 as a result of her past trauma, opening up the possibility that Panettiere’s character is actually the new Ghostface.
Source: Variety
