Jenna Ortega on Dropping Out of Scream 7: ‘It Was All Kind of Falling Apart’

Fans of the Scream franchise were undoubtedly surprised when they found out that Wednesday actor Jenna Ortega, one of the rising stars of Hollywood and a fan-favorite from 2022’s Scream and Scream 6, would not be reprising her role in Scream 7. (Although the return of the OGs, Matthew Lillard and David Arquette is welcome news). The announcement left many new fans of the slasher film franchise disappointed, though it was somewhat expected following the firing of Melissa Barrera, Ortega’s sister in the films.

In an interview with The Cut (via Deadline), Ortega opened up about what happened. The Death of a Unicorn actor said, “It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling. The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart.” She added, “If Scream VII wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.” 

After Ortega left, directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin also dropped out. 

Barerra was terminated from the films after posting on her Instagram account about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Spyglass Media Group, one of the production companies behind the latest movies in the franchise said in an interview with Variety, “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.” 

Barrera said in a 2024 interview with The Independent that, “It was the darkest and hardest year of my life, and I had to reevaluate everything. There were times where I felt like my life was over.” After being dropped from Scream, Barrera was not able to find work for several months. She said, “It was quiet for, like, 10 months. I was still getting offers for small things here and there – I’m not going to lie and say there was nothing – but [the message] was, like, ‘Oh, she probably doesn’t have work, she’ll say yes to anything.’” 

After Barrera, Ortega, and the directors’ exit, the planned seventh film underwent a major change. Neve Campbell is set to reprise her role as Sidney Prescott with new cast member Isabel May as her daughter. Campbell was noticeably absent from Scream 6 after appearing in 2022’s Scream. 

Scream 7 is scheduled to be released on February 27, 2026.