Things are not looking good on the production of slasher-thriller Scream VII.
Just one day after the firing of Melissa Barrera from the film due to her controversial statements on the Israel-Hamas Conflict on social media, the movie’s biggest billed star, Jenny Ortega looks like she’s calling it quits. But does her costar’s firing have anything to do with the decision?
The news of Ortega’s exit from the production was confirmed via Deadline. Sources say that her leaving has nothing to do with Barrera’s termination, but rather a scheduling conflict as she continues filming for the second season of Netflix’s Wednesday which will begin shooting in April of next year. So where does that leave the future of the latest Scream installment?
Ortega and Barrera played sisters in 2022’s Scream and this year’s Scream VI as Tara and Sam Carpenter; their departures will leave two holes to fill onscreen. According to Deadline, Scream VII does not have a script ready at this time, but the pressure is already being felt by director Christopher Landon.
Landon posted on X, “This is my statement: ? Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.” The director would later delete the tweet.
At this point of her career it looks like Ortega can be as choosy as she turns away from the nearly $1 billion Scream franchise. No news for the future of Barrera’s career however.
Yesterday, Spyglass issued this statement in the wake of Barrera’s firing: ““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.”
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time the conflict’s ripple effect has divided entertainment industry and the public alike.