Following the news that Melissa Barrera has been dropped from ‘Scream VII’ over social media comments she made about the Israel-Hamas conflict, it’s now rumoured that Jenna Ortega won’t be returning either.
While fans on social media have speculated that Ortega may depart the series in solidarity with Barrera, Deadline is reporting that it’s actually Ortega’s schedule that is preventing her from starring in the next instalment. According to the publication, Ortega will be heading to Ireland to film season 2 of her Netflix hit ‘Wednesday’ and completion of the production on ‘Beetlejuice’ is expected to happen soon too following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Ortega’s involvement, or lack of, hasn’t been officially confirmed by the star or Paramount Pictures or Spyglass, the company behind the reboot. If Ortega doesn’t return for ‘Scream VII’, that’s going to put the franchise in a very precarious position.
Since the reboot in 2022, the ‘Scream’ series has focused on Tara (Ortega) and Sam (Barrera) Carpenter as its central characters with support from Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) Martin. Without Tara or Sam, it’s hard to see what direction the franchise is going to go in under new director Christopher Landon.
It’s rumoured that Neve Campbell was in talks to return as Sidney Prescott following her absence in ‘Scream VI’, which was a result of a salary dispute. Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers is still alive so she could return along with Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed, who made her second franchise appearance in ‘Scream VI’.
If the legacy cast don’t sign on for ‘Scream VII’, then it could be a reboot of the reboot with an all-new cast and story. We’ll bring you more information as and when it’s available but at the moment it’s looking rocky for the franchise.
