Jenna Ortega's Absence from 'Scream VII' Linked to Netflix's 'Wednesday'
Jenna Ortega's departure from 'Scream VII' adds to the franchise's casting changes, following Neve Campbell's exit and Melissa Barrera's firing Conflicting schedules with Netflix's 'Wednesday' is cited as the reason for Ortega's unavailability
Jenna Ortega Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
The upcoming seventh installment of the Scream franchise will feature a fresh lineup as Jenna Ortega, who played Tara Carpenter, will not be returning due to her filming commitments for season 2 of Wednesday. According to Deadline, production for the Netflix series is set to begin in April 2024 with the cast remaining in Ireland until the summer. Additionally, Ortega is also scheduled for additional shooting days for Beetlejuice, which is slated for a theatrical release on Labor Day 2024.
The news of Ortega’s dismissal from Scream VII follows the firing of her costar Melissa Barrera due to her remarks about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Reports from Variety on November 21 stated that Barrera, 33, was let go after sharing posts that accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” and of distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry.” The production company behind the Scream films, Spyglass Media Group, denied that Barrera’s comments in support of Palestine were the reason for her dismissal.
Spyglass is unequivocally clear in their stance: They have zero tolerance for antisemitism or incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or anything that blatantly crosses the line into hate speech," their statement read.
Barrera, who played Sam in the slasher movies, has not publicly addressed the situation. Before her exit, Barrera and Ortega were at the center of the next collection of Scream films, which focused on the Carpenter sisters as they begin to be threatened by the masked murderer, Ghostface.
Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley from the original Scream film all made appearances in the fifth installment. While Courteney Cox returned for Scream VI, Neve Campbell rejected the studio's salary offer and did not appear in the 2023 movie. David Arquette also did not return due to his character being written off before Scream VI.
Before her departure, Barrera expressed her thoughts on Campbell's absence, stating, "It’s hard thinking that we’re making a movie without her. We can’t get too hung up on that because we gotta make another movie." She added, "Of course Sidney is present. Her essence is present in the movie, you can’t just ignore that. We were all heartbroken, but we totally understand and respect her decision and hopefully if we get to make another one, we can have her back."
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We also reached out to Ortega’s representatives and Spyglass for a comment. Ortega supported Campbell’s decision, stating to Elle in March, “It was really unfortunate, especially because Neve is the coolest, sweetest, most talented lady. The franchise wouldn’t be what it is without her.”
