Scream 6 star Hayden Panettiere reveals she pitched her own franchise return to directing team Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
As anticipation grows for her rematch with Ghostface, Scream 6‘s Hayden Panettiere reveals she pitched her own franchise return to the film’s directors. The former heroes star made her franchise debut with 2011’s Scream 4, in which she starred as Kirby Reed, best friend to Emma Roberts’ Jill Roberts. The film’s final act revealed Jill to be one of the two killers along with Rory Culkin’s Charlie, the latter of whom stabbed Kirby and left her for dead, only for 2022’s scream to feature an Easter egg confirming her survival.
In order to promote the upcoming horror sequel, Hayden Panettiere sat down with Good Morning America to discuss Scream 6.
While reflecting on her return to the beloved slasher franchise, the star revealed she actually pitched herself to directing duo Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin during production on 2022’s screamexpressing her hopes that the character had survived her fight with Ghostface in Scream 4, See what Panettiere shared below:
When [Scream] popped up and came back around, I was like, ‘I want to be a part of that again because I hoped that Kirby was still alive. I willed her back into existence and I called her. I actually called them … when they were doing Scream 5 and I was like, ‘Without me?! wait. To install Hold on. I might still be alive, and I could come in handy.’
Everything We Know About Kirby’s Scream Return
Kirby’s franchise return was set up in 2022’s screamin which a video can be seen on a YouTube screen of her conducting an interview about her survival with an unknown news outlet, though posted on the Bloody Disgusting Youtube channel. Panettiere’s casting was announced directly after newer stars Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, and Jenna Ortega were all confirmed to be returning for Scream 6though not with ease as producer Kevin Williamson revealed he literally couldn’t find the actor.
Details surrounding Kirby’s Scream 6 Returns have been largely kept under wraps, with the marketing for the film seemingly keeping audiences guessing as to how she is involved in the story. Some reports have indicated Panettiere’s character will be an FBI agent partnering with Dermot Mulroney’s new detective character, though theories speculate she is simply using her law enforcement job as a cover to cover up her actually being one of the new Ghostface killers.
Barrera, who recently gained acclaim as Billy Loomis’ daughter Sam, recently teased that Scream 6 would toy with audience expectations for whose side Kirby would be on, further raising questions as to whether Panetierre’s franchise return is harboring something more sinister. However, with the sequel missing Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott due to a pay dispute between the star and producers, one can hope the film’s sole legacy character both survives and isn’t on the wrong side of the killings. The wait for Kirby’s return is nearly over as Scream 6 hits theaters on Friday.
Source: Good Morning America
