JENNA Ortega has withdrawn from her role in Scream 7 due to her commitment to shooting season two of Wednesday. This decision, unrelated to co-star Melissa Barrera’s dismissal, had been in the works for months prior to the recent American actors’ union strike.
Ortega’s schedule is further complicated by her ongoing filming for Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2, interrupted by the strike, with a few more days of shooting remaining.
Ortega and Barrera, known for their roles as sisters, Tara and Sam Carpenter, in the 2022 revival of Scream and its sequel Scream VI, played a crucial role in revitalising the dormant horror franchise. The announcement of Scream 7 came earlier this year with Christopher Landon as the director.
Barrera’s termination from Scream 7 occurred due to her social media posts supporting Palestine in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Following Barrera’s removal, director Christopher Landon posted and later deleted a statement expressing his disapproval, stating that the decision was not his to make.
In the 2022 revival of Scream, the iconic horror franchise welcomed back its original stars, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, while also introducing fresh faces in Mason Gooding Jr and Jasmine Savoy Brown.
However, a pay dispute resulted in Neve Campbell’s absence from Scream 7.
Despite this setback, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet remain optimistic about the possibility of her return in future installments.
The film concluded on a positive note for the characters portrayed by Ortega and Barrera. They not only triumphed over the Ghostface killer once again but also found resolution in their relationship. This development added emotional depth to the storyline, leaving room for anticipation and speculation about the future direction of the Scream series.
