Jenna Ortega Won't Be Back For Scream 7, Dropped Out Months Ago
In the wake of the news that "Scream" star Melissa Barrera had been removed from "Scream VII" by Spyglass Media Group over social media comments that the company deemed antisemitic (their words, not ours), it was announced today that another member of the "core four" would not be returning for the slasher sequel, albeit under different circumstances. According to Deadline, Jenna Ortega, who played Barrera's younger sister in the franchise, is not expected to return for the next installment of the franchise. Deadline reports that Ortega's departure is unrelated to Barrera's firing and that her exit had been discussed prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. This was also confirmed by sources to The Hollywood Reporter.
Deadline confirms Ortega is heading to Ireland in April to film season 2 of "Wednesday" for Netflix, which is anticipated to shoot well into the summer. This would certainly make appearing in "Scream VII" a difficult task. As was noted yesterday, the loss of Barrera has caused a serious shakeup for the "Scream VII" creative team. How do you write a sequel without the lead, or now, two leads? This is also the second time the "Scream" franchise has lost its "final girl," following Neve Campbell's exit after "Scream V" after the studios refused to meet her payment demands.
We were beyond excited when it was announced that "Happy Death Day" director Christopher Landon had been tapped to take the reins on the series for this new installment, but after the last 24 hours, it's hard not to feel like Ghostface's final kill was the existence of "Scream VII."
Peace for the Carpenter sisters
It may have taken some warming up from the more old-school fans of the "Scream" franchise, but make no mistake, the success of "Scream V" and "Scream VI" is due in large part to the introduction of Barrera and Ortega (as well as the Meeks-Martin twins, played by Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding). The duo played Sam and Tara Carpenter, sisters targeted by five different Ghostfaces across two films, all because Sam's biological father is revealed to be Billy Loomis, one of the killers from the original movie.
Barrera is slated to star in an Untitled Universal Monsters film directed by former "Scream" directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, as well as the horror rom-com "Your Monster." Ortega is of course returning for season 2 of "Wednesday," and will also appear in "Beetlejuice 2" as Lydia Deetz' daughter. The Emmy nominee also has four additional projects in post-production.
The "Scream" fanbase is one of the most passionate groups of horror fans out there, and the way folks rallied in support of Melissa Barrera is a testament to that passion. If there's any solace to be found, it's that fans were given a triumphant ending with "Scream VI," and the characters can canonically live in peace, without fear that Ghostface is ever coming back for them. What this means for "Scream VII" has yet to be seen, but we will update as more information becomes available.