Jenna Ortega will reportedly not return to Scream VII amid the controversy the franchise has been facing after Melissa Barrera’s firing. However, her nonappearance in the movie allegedly has nothing to do with Barrera’s case, who’s fired over her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the rumors she wants to end her contract with the horror movie franchise.
According to Deadline, sources confirmed that Ortega wouldn’t reprise her role as Tara Carpenter in the next Scream movie. Though this came after Spyglass Media axed Barrera from the franchise, her exit was actually because of her shooting schedule for Wednesday Season 2.
The 21-year-old may have chosen the hit Netflix series over the iconic slasher films despite being the reason for Scream VI’s success, seeing the franchise’s best opening earnings at $44.4 million in the U.S. alone and $67 million globally. The outlet claimed that Ortega’s departure from Scream VII was already discussed even before the actors’ strike began.
So far, the script for the seventh movie isn’t ready yet, and she must fly to Ireland in April to start shooting Wednesday Season 2. The show’s production will reportedly run until the summer. From Romania, the filming location moved to the European island due to the challenges the first season had in the said country. Sure, executive producer Steve Stark told Deadline that Romania was the perfect place to shoot creatively, but he admitted it was also challenging in a lot of ways.
Also, Ortega has to work on Beetlejuice 2, where she will play the role of Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) daughter. The movie still has a few days of filming left to meet its theatrical release on Labor Day 2024 after the SAG-AFTRA strike ended.
Why was Melissa Barrera Fired from Scream VII?
Barrera’s firing from Scream VII instantly led to a backlash, with several netizens planning to boycott the upcoming film. Sources told Deadline that the firing was because of the actress’ reposts about the Israel-Hamas conflict that were perceived as “antisemitic.”
“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” the company said in a statement.
The film’s director, Christopher Landon, also addressed the issue, saying the decision to axe Barrera wasn’t his. “This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make,” he said.
Details about Scream VII are scarce, but Barrera is expected to reprise her role as Sam Carpenter, the sister of Ortega’s Tara, until the firing came. It just comes timely that the news about Ortega’s exit comes amid the backlash.
