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.