Scream 7 star praises Jenna Ortega after “shocking” firing

Scream 7 star Melissa Barrera has praised her former co-star Jenna Ortega after the Barrera’s “shocking” firing from the franchise.

Production on Scream VII, the seventh film in the franchise, has seen its fair share of hurdles after one of the leading cast members was fired in a “shocking” turn of events.

Melissa Barrera was dropped from the film despite her major role in the previous two installments due to social media posts made concerning the ongoing situation in Gaza. A day later, Barrera’s costar Jenna Ortega announced she would also not return due to a scheduling conflict.

Sitting down with Rolling Stone for an interview, Barrera has now praised Ortega for her solidarity throughout the scandal.

The interview took place at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, with Barrera promoting her movie Your Monster and discussing her unexpected firing from the Scream franchise.

During the interview, writer Marlo Stern questioned Ortega’s reasoning for leaving the franchise, suggesting there may have been more at work behind the scenes. According to Stern, Ortega’s scheduling conflicts “didn’t seem like the whole story,” with the timing leading many fans to believe that it “seemed like there was some sisterhood-solidarity going on.”

“Listen, Jenna is a good egg. She’s a good person and we love each other. She would show up for me and I would show up for her no matter what,” Barrera responded, seemingly confirming that “sisterhood-solidarity” played a part in Ortega’s departure.

And it seems Scream 7’s bad run is continuing as just late last month director Christopher Landon left the project via an announcement on X (formerly Twitter).

He wrote, “I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago. This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it’s time to move on. I have nothing.”

What this means for Scream 7’s future remains to be seen, with two leading cast members and a director now notably missing from production.