Summary
- Hayden Panettiere stars in the upcoming thriller Sleepwalker as a wife and mother who is sleepwalking.
- Production companies Appian Way and Verdi are producing Sleepwalker which was filmed in Rhode Island.
- Fans hope Kirby, Panettiere’s character, could return in Scream 7, appreciating her strong, honest portrayal.
Horror fans enjoy keeping up with the careers of actors who have appeared in the Scream franchise, and Hayden Panettiere, who played fan-favorite character Kirby Reed, is now starring in the upcoming thriller Sleepwalker.
Deadline reported that Panettiere plays Sarah, a wife and mother whose abusive husband is in a coma after getting into a car crash. As the title of the movie suggests, she is sleepwalking, and her life turns upside down when she can’t tell what’s actually happening and what’s not. Since sleepwalking is such a frightening experience, this is a great premise for a movie.
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Appian Way Productions, Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, and Verdi Productions are producing Sleepwalker. Deadline noted that the movie, which was shot in Rhode Island, is now finished filming.
This news comes in the wake of many Scream 7 casting announcements and there are no doubt many fans who are hoping that Kirby could appear in the horror sequel. Several legacy characters are returning, including Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding), Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Roman Bridger (Scott Foley), and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard). It’s hard not to wonder why Kirby isn’t coming back. At the time of this writing, there is no update on her status. Fans have ideas about how Stu can return, and they also want to see smart Kirby again since she’s now an FBI agent who can assist in the search for Ghostface. Fans appreciate Kirby’s honest, no-nonsense approach to life so much they even would watch a Scream spinoff about this character.
Although Panettiere is famous for portraying her tough and complex Scream character Kirby, who doesn’t suffer fools and does her own thing, the actress hasn’t appeared in a lot of horror or thriller movies. Panettiere’s most well-known roles include Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light, Claire Bennett on Heroes, Juliette Barnes on Nashville, and the main character in I Love You, Beth Cooper. Panettiere was a great choice for the main role in Sleepwalker. She has proven with her past roles that she can play a strong-willed character who fights for her survival in an emotional situation. But no matter how many parts the actress plays, there is no doubt that horror fans will always see her as Kirby and hope she can return to every Scream movie.
Along with starring in Sleepwalker, Panettiere is starring in the upcoming remake of A Breed Apart. Deadline reported that the survival movie is being adapted from the 2006 movie The Breed, which was directed by the late Wes Craven. Her most recent part was Jaq in the 2024 thriller Amber Alert.
As of now, there is no release date for Sleepwalker. Scream fans will definitely keep their eyes peeled to find out when they can see Panettiere’s new thriller… and still hold out hope that Kirby could come back for Scream 7.
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