Kirby Has 'Come A Long Way' In Scream 6
Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox have been the face of "Scream" since 1996, but this series has also done a great job when it comes to its supporting cast. One of the coolest things about entering a horror franchise is that, for better or worse, your character will be remembered. Folks like Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore), Cici Cooper (Sarah Michelle Gellar), and Hallie McDaniel (Elise Neal) are just as important to "Scream" as the main trio, in addition to those who end up revealing themselves as Ghostface. But it shouldn't come as a surprise that Hayden Panettiere's Kirby Reed in "Scream 4" has come out on the other side as one of the series' lasting favorites.
"Scream" would feel lost without a movie geek in the crowd, which made it all the more heartbreaking when Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) succumbed to Ghostface's wrath in "Scream 2." Where Kirby could have been an easy archetype replacement, Panettiere ended up being a charming and hilarious presence all her own, so much so that she could have easily taken up Sidney's mantle. It had looked like she was a goner after trusting Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin), as the last time we see her, she's lying in a pool of her own blood.
With Campbell sadly out of the fold, and Arquette's Dewey finally losing to Ghostface in the previous film, it makes sense to bring back someone as beloved as Kirby to get folks excited again. Her role in "Scream VI" may be kept under lock and key, but what we do know is that Kirby's had time to reflect on that terrible night in the decade since she was left for dead in her backyard.
'It was like an estranged aunt came back into the fold'
While Panettiere assures that Kirby has obviously been affected by her near-death experience, her magnetic spirit hasn't entirely disappeared (via Entertainment Weekly):
"She's come a long way [...] What happened to her has obviously impacted her life, and it sends her in a certain direction, but she's still the same old Kirby at the heart of it. She's just a little older, a little wiser, but just as spitfire-y, and snarky, and all that good stuff."
If you listen closely, you'll hear the sound of Kirby fans around the world breathing a sigh of relief. The campaign to bring her back for another "Scream" had been going strong since 2011, after all. But with most of her friends falling prey to Ghostface's generational stronghold, Kirby's return will likely involve adjusting to the batch of new blood. Even though Panettiere felt the same pressure when stepping onto set of "Scream VI," they made her feel right at home:
"I did feel a little like I had to find my way back into the new group because that crew had done the prior film. But they were all so welcoming. It was interesting, they made me part of their family that I had already been a part of. [Laughs] So it was like an estranged aunt came back into the fold!"
Of the survivors from "Scream" (2022), it wouldn't surprise me if the person she ends up forming a close kinship with is Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), who ended up taking over the movie nerd mantle. Here's hoping that Kirby gets to knock Ghostface down a peg this time around.
"Scream VI" is set to hit theaters on March 10, 2023.