'Scream 7' Plans Slashed As Melissa Barrera Gets Cut & Jenna Ortega Flees The Franchise

Scream fans assumed that all of the stars who were alive at the end of the last movie would be in the seventh installment of the long-running and much-beloved horror franchise, but now actors are dropping like flies and not at the hands of Ghostface.

Horror darling Jenna Ortega has decided not to return for the next film, despite being credited for drawing in audiences for Scream VI, which had the highest opening gross in the history of the franchise, according to reporting by Deadline.

While the Wednesday actress left by choice, fans were stunned yesterday when star Melissa Barrera was fired by Spyglass — the production company behind Scream — after she made pro-Palestine comments on social media that the studio deemed to be “hate speech.”

“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 statement from a Spyglass said.

Barrera was dropped from the cast of the upcoming Scream VII after she made social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war that called Israel “colonized” land and “floated an antisemitic trope that Jews control the media,” Variety reports.

“Western media only shows the [Israeli] side,” the outlet said she wrote on social media. “Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.”

On Instagram, she also posted a message from artists4ceasefire.org to her 1.2 million followers asking for an end to the "bombing of Gaza" and "the safe release of all hostages."

“Please join us in demanding that Congress, [President Biden], and other world leaders call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost,” the caption reads. “We must end the bombing of Gaza, secure the safe release of all hostages, and demand adequate access for humanitarian aid to reach the people that desperately need it.”

Barrera and Ortega played sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter respectively in Scream (2022) and reprised their roles for Scream VI earlier this year. Barrera in particular was the main character in both of the last two films where it was revealed that she is the daughter of the OG Ghostface killer Billy Loomis, so her being fired is a major shake-up for the film series.

Although Ortega hasn’t made her reasons for leaving public, the news came less than a day after Barrera was unceremoniously fired.

Before the latest cast changes, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, and Courtney Cox were all reportedly returning for Scream VII which is being helmed by out director Christopher Landon.

Let's hope they have Neve on speed dial.