Scream 6: Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed revealed in first look

Scream 6 has given fans their first look at the return of Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed, appearing in the franchise for the first time in more than 10 years.

Last year, Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s beloved slasher franchise was born anew with a half-revival, half-sequel. Scream 5 (titled Scream… I know) was a major success with critics and the box office alike, and work quickly began on the next entry.

Scream 6 isn’t like the previous sequels, though. For starters, Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, the series’ famed final girl, won’t appear. Secondly, we’re leaving Woodsboro and heading to New York City.

With a new trailer set to drop tomorrow, we’ve been given a major sneak peek at a returning character: Kirby Reed, played by Hayden Panettiere.

Scream 6 reveals return of Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed

Kirby Reed was introduced in Scream 4. The last time we saw her, she’d been stabbed by Rory Culkin’s Charlie Walker, but the fifth entry teased her to be alive after all.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, which also dropped the first look at the character, Panettiere said: “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.”

Panettiere’s Kirby is beloved by fans, but she still “felt a little left out” when she joined the set of Scream 6. “It’s true. 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,” she explained.

“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!”

You can read more about Scream 6 here. “What’s your favorite scary movie?”