Jenna Ortega is addressing why she exited the Scream franchise amid the firing of her co-star Melissa Barrera.
In a cover story for The Cut published Monday, the Death of a Unicorn star reflected on leaving the rebooted Scream franchise, in which she and Barrera starred as the Carpenter sisters. After Spyglass Media Group announced in November 2023 that Barrera had been fired from the forthcoming seventh installment for remarks she made about the Israel-Hamas war on Instagram, it was also announced a day later that Ortega was departing the film as well. It was speculated her exit was due to either Barrera’s firing or pay disputes, however, Ortega explained why she decided not to return.
“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega said. “The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart.”
Scream VI directors, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, had also exited, which Ortega pinpointed as a reason.
“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,” she added.
When talking about their respective exits at the time, Barrera had told The Hollywood Reporter of Ortega, “She’s been very supportive of me, and we’re sisters for life.”
Ortega has since starred in myriad projects including last year’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and returning for the second season of her Netflix smash hit Wednesday.
“I’ve happened to join a lot of franchises, which is so great to be a part of legacy,” Ortega told The Cut. “But for me, I’m really trying to prioritize new directors and original stories. I know on the outside, maybe people are looking at my choices like, Man, what the hell is this girl doing? I never thought I would do a movie with unicorns. But an original script is exciting. If I can help get it made, I love to do that.”
For the second season of Wednesday Ortega will also exec produce: “I feel a bit more empowered to speak my mind.”
Original Scream star Neve Campbell, who sat out the previous installment due to a salary dispute, is set to star in Scream 7, which will focus on her character, Sidney Prescott, and her daughter. Joel McHale is on board to play spouse Mark Evans. Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, who were part of the core four with Ortega and Barrera, will return.
Kevin Williamson — the creator of the franchise who penned the script to the Wes Craven-directed original, as well as Scream 2 and Scream 4 — is directing. Guy Busick, who wrote 2022‘s Scream and Scream VI, wrote the script.
Paramount is set to release Scream 7 in theaters on Feb. 27, 2026.
