Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere is returning to the world of Scream. After starring in 2011’s Scream 4 as fan favourite Kirby Reed, THR breaks that Panettiere has closed a deal to reprise her character in the horror franchise’s upcoming instalment.

After Scream‘s great commercial success earlier this year, a sixth franchise outing was quickly confirmed to be in the works, and it was recently announced that Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jenna Ortega, and Mason Gooding would all be returning for the follow-up.

Principal photography on the yet-untitled sixth film is set to begin this summer. All we know so far of the new feature is that it “continues with the four survivors of the Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter”. For now, it’s anyone’s guess how much of Hayden Panettiere fans will get to see, with rumours already circulating that Kirby will become Ghostface’s first victim in Scream 6.

The creative team behind the Scream reboot also return: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (best known as part of the filmmaking collective Radio Silence) as directors, and James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick as writers.

Scream 6 is set for release in cinemas on March 31st, 2023.