Summary
Several years after playing the powerful cheerleader Claire onHeroes,Hayden Panettiere was cast as smart Kirby Reed inScream 4, and she quickly becamea favorite character in the slasher franchise. Kirby has a strong personality that stands out, which is why I appreciate her. Kirby knows who she can and can’t trust and she doesn’t pause to think about what other people think about her. She does her own thing, and that’s admirable.
However, while several legacy characters from thehorrorfranchise arereturning forScream 7,I’m not thrilled that Kirby will be absent, at least at the time of this writing. There are several reasons why I’m concerned about this.
Why I’m Worried That Kirby Reed Isn’t In Scream 7
After reading whatRedditor @olliesorchestraposted in a thread, I have to agree that it seems odd that Kirby Reed isn’t coming back forScream 7. The fan wrote:
“I’m interested to see how they explain away Kirby’s lack of involvement (so far anyway) in the events of 7. Scream 6 kind of set up a problem in that, now with a GF survivor LITERALLY in the FBI, it would stand to reason that she’d show up for every spree and help using whatever resources she can.”
This is a great point and makes meworried about how realisticScream 7will seem. Whilea spinoff movie about Kirbywould always be welcome, at least by me, I also think thatKirby is necessary to the franchise because of her FBI agent career. She has the resources to help track the new killer or killers down, and she has a lot of intelligence, expertise, and knowledge.
Although Kirby isn’t the official final girl of theScreamfranchise and no one can ever replace Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell),Kirby has shown excellent character growth.I think she has become one of the most engaging and smartest people in the franchise. She hasfound a way to merge her past and present, which is interesting. She moved away and pursued a fascinating career, but she has never forgotten her brush with Ghostface when she was a teenager inScream 4. Kirby remembers what it was like to be friends withJill Roberts (Emma Roberts), one of the villains ofScream 4,and she has figured out that she has to be careful about who she trusts.
I’m also not sure that it makes sense to bring back several legacy characters and leave Kirby behind. How can Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) and Roman Bridger (Scott Foley), who were killed, come back? What about Kirby, who is still alive and well? EvenifScream 7says Stu is somehow still aliveor brings him back as a ghost or in flashbacks,I’m still going to wonder where Kirby is.
Finally, I want Kirby to come back becauseI loved watching Kirby and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) connect over the horror genre inScream 6.While she’s tough character and a lone wolf in some ways, Kirby can still be kind to the other characters.Scream 7needs a legacy character who can bond with the newer characters, too.
How Could Kirby Reed Appear In Scream 7?
Since Kirby Reed is an FBI agent, it would make sense if shehelped Sidney Prescott track down Ghostface inScream 7. There are somegreat fan theories about Ghostface, and since Kirby is so perceptive, I think she would have some good ideas about who they could be. At the very least, I would argue that Sidney needs all the help she can get at this point, especially since she’s so burnt out from fighting Ghostface for so many years. Fans also enjoy seeing the dynamic between Kirby and the other legacy characters, and I think there should be at least one more movie where Sidney, Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), and Kirby work together.
SinceMason Gooding said thatScream 7is gory, I also think it would be fun tosee an epic fight scene between Kirby and Ghostface. She has the physical strength to go up against the new villain, and since Gale got her big battle scene inScream 6, I think it’s time for Kirby to get one, too. While it might be unrealistic for Ghostface to show up at the FBI office since they would definitely be caught, maybe Ghostface finds Kirby at their home.
I would be happyeven if Kirby appeared in just one scene inScream 7, as a cameo would be fine. However, as of now, that doesn’t seem likely.
