Jenna Ortega, who’s seen as the reason behind Scream VI’s box office success, reportedly leaves the slasher franchise after Melissa Barrera’s firing. Though there are several claims as to why the star departs Scream VII, it’s said to be because of her filming schedule for Wednesday Season 2. However, many remain skeptical as her exit comes after the backlash.
Jenna Ortega Won’t be Seen in Scream VII
According to Deadline, Jenna Ortega’s exit has nothing to do with Melissa Barrera’s firing or the rumors that she’s asking to end her contract with the franchise. Instead, it’s said to be because the production of Wednesday Season 2 is about to begin.
The outlet stressed that the 21-year-old’s decision to leave was already discussed even before the SAG-AFTRA strike began in July. Also, the script for Scream VII isn’t ready yet, and she already has to fly to Ireland in April to start the hit Netflix series’ production, which will run until the summer.
Aside from Wednesday Season 2, Ortega is also busy filming the last few scenes of Beetlejuice 2 after the actors’ strike to make it to its Labor Day 2024 theatrical release.
Both Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera will officially be absent from ‘Scream 7.’ pic.twitter.com/cYOBEbzG8z
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 22, 2023
So far, there are no words yet on the production schedule of Scream VII, though it’s posed to hit the franchise’s $1 billion global mark at the box office. With the sixth film’s $67 million global earnings, the movie series is now at the $911 million mark.
Ortega has yet to issue a statement about this issue.
What Will Happen to Scream VII after Jenna Ortega’s Exit, Melissa Barrera’s Firing?
Amid the backlash, Jenna Ortega’s exit, and Melissa Barrera’s firing, the big question is: what will happen to Scream VII?
Variety broke the news that Spyglass Media, the film’s producer, fired Barrera over her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war that were deemed “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 broke his silence on the issue. In a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter), he said, “Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”
Jenna Ortega reportedly asked to end her contract with the “Scream” franchise following Melissa Barrera getting fired. pic.twitter.com/PXhOZi8qfw
— Pop Tingz (@ThePopTingz) November 22, 2023
With all these happening, how would Scream VII go? According to Variety, long before Barrera was fired and Ortega left the franchise, the seventh film was already subjected to being “retooled.” With Ortega’s departure, the film’s creative team had to make some alterations.
However, there are still hopes that Ortega will appear in the film, even if it’s just a cameo. But another source familiar with the matter claimed that the actress was never part of the planned reboot.
The outlet added that James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, the writers of the two previous Scream movies, would start working on a fresh draft for Scream VII to present to the filmmakers. There may be new set pieces and twists, but they must find new lead stars first.
Who may Lead Scream VII Next?
Anyhow, Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, who play the roles of the sisters Tara and Sam Carpenter, respectively, only signed to do two Scream movies and already fulfilled it with the fifth and sixth movies. The producers need to create new deals for the next film installment.
So far, the possible contenders are the franchise’s original stars, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and Patrick Dempsey. As there are no active negotiations yet, other possibilities may be explored.
Variety reports that Melissa Barrera & Jenna Ortega signed on for 2 SCREAM movies. They fulfilled their contracts with SCREAM 5 and SCREAM VI.
They would need NEW deals for SCREAM 7. It sounds like Spyglass didn’t want to give them their pay raise. It’s all making sense. pic.twitter.com/UY9sB2CWDl
— Tristan (@britneyvinyl) November 23, 2023
Though there are different assumptions about why Jenna Ortega left the Scream franchise, fans can’t help but question its timing. This makes many believe that the actress stood out for her co-star, Melissa Barrera, though there are also beliefs that it has something to do with the pay raise after fulfilling two movies. Whatever the reason is, it’s good to note that there are several projects lined up for Ortega where fans can see her next.
