TheScreamfranchise is full of iconic characters, and Kirby Reed is among the most popular with the fans, due to her encyclopedic knowledge of horror movies and her funny one-liners. Kirby has appeared in bothScream 4andScream 6in the series. However, the only cast member officially confirmed forScream 7is Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott. More legacy characters, including Kirby, could still make a return, buta spin-off movie centered on Kirby might be a better idea.
Hayden Panettiere’s return as Kirby inScream 6in 2023 was the first time she played the character since 2011. After years of speculation over whether her character died at the end ofScream 4,Kirby’s survival was confirmed inScream (2022)when Ritchie was scrolling through YouTube forStabrelated content, and came across an interview with Woodsboro survivor, Kirby Reed. If the character returns again, she should be the protagonist of her own story.
Is Kirby Likely to Return For Scream 7?
Kirby Reedsurvived the events ofScream 6, so there is astrong possibility she will return inScream 7.However, it isn’t as simple as that due, to the upheaval that occurred after the upcoming sequel was officially announced.Melissa Barrera was fired fromScream 7, while Jenna Ortega exited due to scheduling conflicts. This has led to their co-stars speaking out about the situation, including Hayden Panettiere. Panettiere shared her thoughts about Barrera’s firing in an exclusiveinterview with The Messenger:
After she [spoke out], then a whole bunch of other actors and people in the industry started to do the same thing, right? It was almost like she just did it earlier than everyone else. You know, a lot of people hadn’t really asked her how she felt. Melissa is such a bada– as a human being and as an actress… She was hurt by it, but I think she took it in stride and was very, very gracious about it.
Panetierre also said that Barrera’s firing was “very unfair and upsetting.“This raises questions over the likelihood of her character, Kirby Reed, returning inScream 7after the actress publicly criticized Spyglass Media.Neve Campbellalso criticizes Spyglass during the pay dispute, which led to her absence inScream 6.However, it looks like this didn’t go against her, as she has signed on forScream 7. Panettiere’s criticism of Spyglass is different because it directly links to the Melissa Barrera situation, which puts her potential casting inScream 7in doubt. There’s also the possibility that Panettiere doesn’t want to return, and wishes to stand in solidarity with Barrera.
Why Kirby Should Get Her Own Spin-Off
When Kirby Reed returned to the Scream franchise in the sixth movie, she was very different from the character the fans came to know and love inScream 4. Kirby was now an FBI agent based in Atlanta, who traveled to New York to investigate the Ghostface attacks targeting her fellow Woodsboro alum. Kirby states that she investigates Ghostface attacks all over the country, opening up the possibility ofa spin-off movie showing Kirby Reed tracking down aCult of Ghostface killersacross the United States.
Scream 6was packed full of characters. This didn’t leave much room to explore Kirby Reed’s backstory, despite her presence being very welcome. Fans didn’t get to learn much about how she spent the years in betweenScream 4andScream 6.If she returns inScream 7, there is a strong possibility this could happen again. After all, the focus seems to be moving back to Sidney Prescott, and potentially a new group of characters.
In addition,Kirby’s current story is more closely linked to the Core Four, rather than Sidney and Gale.With that in mind, a Kirby-focused spin-off would be an idea worth exploring. It would be fun to see Kirby in her Atlanta office, heading up a team of agents hunting down Ghostface killers all over the country. It could also tie into the events ofScream 7, and it would be a step in the right direction towards creating a true Scream-verse.
A Kirby-led spin-off could also give fans the chance to witness the Woodsboro high graduate reconnecting with her horror movie-obsessed past, with plenty of references to the genre she loves so much. Apart from one scene in the Ghostface shrine inScream 6, where Kirby conntects with Mindy Meeks-Martin over their shared passion for the horror genre, fans didn’t get to see that side of Kirby in the 2023 movie.
The main reason fans loved Kirby so much inScream 4was because she was the logical heir to the throne of the original movie buff, Randy Meeks. This aspect had been missing from the franchise since the popular character’s death inScream 2. Like Randy, Kirby was the voice of the audience. This makes her not only lovable and relatable, but the perfect candidate for a spinoff movie in the future.
