Neve Campbell is ‘so excited’ to return as Sidney Prescott in the upcoming seventh film in the Scream franchise.

The 50-year-old actress made her debut as the character in the 1996 Wes Craven slasher film, and she reprised the role in four of its sequels.

However, the performer remained absent from the sixth feature in the franchise after negotiations regarding her salary broke down.

Campbell recently spoke to PEOPLE and expressed that she was dismayed about having to sit out on the most recently-released Scream movie, which debuted last year.

‘Those movies have been such a big part of my life and it means so much to me, and I was sad to miss the last one, to not be a part of it,’ she said.

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However, the Twisted Metal actress stated that she was happy to have been able to come to an agreement with the new movie’s producers and reprise her role.

‘I was really grateful that they came back to me in a respectful way. I think that means a lot to women and to society. I’m grateful to be able to step in into Sidney’s shoes again and tell her story,’ she said.

Campbell then opened up about the impact that Prescott had on longtime fans of the slasher franchise.

‘I meet a lot of fans who say her strength has helped them get through tough times, and it means more than I could ever have imagined to some people,’ she stated.

Development on the upcoming seventh film in the Scream franchise was revealed to the public in 2023, when Scream VI’s directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet, expressed hope that the series would continue in the future.

The filmmakers spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in March of last year and stated that they would ‘never give up’ trying to get Campbell to return to the series.

Bettinelli-Olpin added: ‘We’d love to be able to make another movie with her, and we’re not giving up.’ 

The pair ultimately stepped away from the project, and Christopher Landon signed on to direct the film last August.

It was revealed that Campbell had officially agreed to return to the franchise last March, and she shared the news about her casting on her Instagram account at the time.

Kevin Williamson also stepped in to replace Landon as the director of the upcoming slasher film.

The filmmaker wrote the screenplays for the first, second and fourth entries in the Wes Craven-created franchise. 

The seventh entry in the Scream film series currently does not have a scheduled release date.