Highlights
- The departure of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega from Scream 7 has created uncertainty for the franchise's future.
- Spyglass Productions has faced backlash for their handling of the situation, with fans criticizing their treatment of the two stars.
- There are rumors that Scream 7 may undergo a complete reboot, potentially alienating fans, but the return of Neve Campbell and Patrick Dempsey could salvage the sequel's prospects.
The Scream franchise has been dealt a huge blow with the departure of two of its biggest stars in Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, leaving the future of Scream 7 in huge doubt. Christopher Landon is still attached to direct, with James Vanderbilt on board to retool the script that he wrote for the upcoming sequel with Guy Busick, who now appears to be off the project.
The production company, Spyglass, has come in for huge criticism from fans for the way it has treated its two biggest stars. Scream 6 was the highest-grossing sequel in the franchise, and this was largely down to the rise of Jenna Ortega as an A-list star thanks to her brilliant turn in Netflix's Wednesday. This was coupled with the brilliant leading performance of Melissa Barrera alongside her. Sam and Tara were the beating heart of the series after the passing of the torch from Sidney, Gale, and Dewey in Scream 2022, led them to fully establish themselves in Scream 6. Scream 7 reportedly looks set for a complete reboot which could potentially kill the franchise off.
What happened with Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega's exits from Scream 7?
Everything was all set for Scream 7 to begin shooting in 2024, with the writers' and actors' strikes finally over, but fans of the franchise were dealt a shocking blow last month with the announcement of Melissa Barrera's firing from Scream 7 after comments she made on her Instagram about the Israel-Hamas war. This was promptly followed by the announcement that Jenna Ortega was exiting the project because of scheduling conflicts and a pay dispute with Spyglass.
Scream 7 has lost two members of the now legendary Core 4 and arguably the most important characters in the series. The reason Scream 6 coped so well with the departure of Neve Campbell was down to the excellent central performances of Barrera and Ortega and their departures leave the franchise with an uncertain future.
Olivia Colman has led a 1,300 strong condemnation of Melissa Barrera's firing from Scream 7 in an open letter published by Artists for Palestine UK. It claimed the firing of Barrera was a dangerous form of censorship, Spyglass made a statement to Variety that explained the reasons for Melissa Barrera's firing, stating:
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
Who could the focus be on in Scream 7?
Reports have suggested that Spyglass is keen to bring back Neve Campbell for Scream 7, alongside Patrick Dempsey, who first appeared as Detective Mark Kincaid in Scream 3, and his character was revealed to now be Sidney's husband in Scream (2022). Rumor has it, the script for Scream 7 did involve Sidney and Mark in a story line that would link up with Sam and Tara's and the rest of The Core 4. Whether any of these plot lines survive in a future rewrite of Scream 7 remains to be seen.
Patrick Dempsey is well and truly back in the horror frame after his appearance in the successful Eli Roth slasher movie, Thanksgiving, meaning he could be a good option to reprise his role in Scream 7, and Neve Campbell is arguably the ultimate final girl, and it would be great to see her character again. However, Spyglass has their work cut out with the upcoming sequel, with fans threatening to boycott it after the departure of Barrera and Ortega.
If Patrick Dempsey and Neve Campbell decide to pass on the sequel, who could possibly be the focus in Scream 7? Some reports have suggested that there could be a full reboot which would not go down well with fans, but the logical next step would be to either focus on Chad and Mindy, or Kirby and Gale, who all remain fan favorites. Ideally, if they could get all four of these characters back, alongside Sidney and Mark, there might be a chance of the upcoming sequel not being the total disaster it appears destined to be.
Another option that would appease some fans is if they brought back Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher, after years of speculation that his murderous character from the original Scream actually survived. However, this would have to be done in a very convincing way to avoid it turning into the death knell of the series. Lillard recently played the killer in the highly successful Five Nights at Freddy's, so there's a chance producers would consider cashing in on his new-found popularity by giving him another crack at his most iconic character. All of this is speculation, and we won't know more until Spyglass makes an official announcement on casting and when filming is due to be underway.
Scream
The Scream movie and TV franchise began with the release of the first film in 1996. Directed by horror master Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the deconstruction of slasher movies was an instant cultural, critical, and financial hit. Neve Campbell, who plays ongoing final girl Sidney Prescott, has become a horror icon in her own right, along with Ghostface, the only horror villain whose identity is always changing. Nearly three decades later, the Scream franchise shows no signs of slowing down.
- Created by
- Wes Craven , Kevin Williamson
- Cast
- Neve Campbell , Courteney Cox , David Arquette , Melissa Barrera , Jenna Ortega , Jasmin Savoy Brown , Mason Gooding
