Jenna Ortega Explains The Real Reason She Left Scream 7 After Melissa Barrera Firing

Jenna Ortega reveals why she really quit Scream 7

. After the 2022 film from directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin revitalized the Scream franchise, new protagonists Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Ortega) returned for a sixth film in 2023. The movie was a hit and Scream 7 was confirmed in August 2023. By December, however, the film had experienced some major shakeups, with Barrera getting fired due to her tweets about the Israel-Hamas conflict, planned director Christopher Landon quitting, and Ortega departing reportedly due to either scheduling conflicts or a salary dispute.

Now, in an interview with The Cut, Ortega addresses her departure from Scream 7, revealing that her quitting the film was not about either scheduling or her salary, as was reported at the time. According to Ortega, it was all about the core figures from the two previous entries not returning, including Barrera, Gillett, and Bettinelli-Olpin. Check out her explanation below:

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling. The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. 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.”

What This Means For Scream 7

The Film’s Cast & Director Exits Explained

Many key figures from 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream 6 may not be returning for the upcoming seventh film, but the film is still moving forward. The new sequel will hail from original movie writer Kevin Williamson, with Neve Campbell also returning as original franchise final girl Sidney Prescott. The Scream 7 cast will also include Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, and one half of the Core Four, with both Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown reprising their roles as siblings Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, respectively.

Though Barrera’s firing has been the subject of much controversy, with some fans claiming they will be boycotting Scream 7, the departure of Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin as directors was seemingly due to scheduling conflicts with their vampire movie, Abigail (2024). With this directing team and Barrera and Ortega not returning, the Carpenter sisters’ saga now concludes with the Scream 6 ending, which could be frustrating for some viewers given the ways in which it teases a dark future for Sam in a story that now won’t come to pass.

Seemingly in answer to the shaky ground that both Barrera and Ortega’s left Scream 7 on, the movie will feature one of most impressive casts of any installment in the franchise. This includes bringing back Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher, who appeared to die in the first movie, as well as David Arquette’s Dewey, who appeared to die in 2022’s Scream. Scott Foley is also coming back for a cameo as Roman Bridger after dying in Scream 3 (2000). This is on top of newcomers like Joel McHale, Isabel May, Michelle Randolph, Anna Camp, and Mckenna Grace.

Our Take On Ortega Leaving Scream 6

The Next Movie Could Still Succeed

With the key creative team leaving and Barrera getting fired, it may have been hard to incorporate Ortega’s Tara seamlessly into the Scream 7 story. Though certainly a blow to the film in many ways, it does make sense that Tara won’t be part of the next installment if Sam won’t be either. Plus, with Campbell and Cox returning, as well as a host of other figures from past movies, Scream 7 will have plenty of characters to make up for their absences.

Source: The Cut

Scream 7

Release Date

February 25, 2026

Director

Kevin Williamson

Writers

Guy Busick

Producers

Cathy Konrad, Gary Barber, Marianne Maddalena, Neve Campbell, Peter Oillataguerre, William Sherak, Ron Lynch

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  Neve Campbell

  Sidney Prescott

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  Celeste O’Connor

  Chad Meeks-Martin

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