Summary
Thedirector of Scream 7admitted that, at one point, he didn’t know how to proceed with the film after losing key characters from the previous film. It turned out that Melissa Barrera’s firing and Jenna Ortega’s exit from the franchise affected the plot.
Barrera and Ortega debuted inScream 5(2022). They portrayed the Carpenter sisters, Sam and Tara, respectively. The pair reprised their roles inScream VI(2023), where they became the central figures in the ongoing battle againstGhostface. However, in 2023, both departed from the franchise for different reasons. Barrera was fired due to her pro-Palestinian social media posts that franchise makers claimed were antisemitic.TheWednesdaystarlater left the franchise, citing a scheduling conflict. However, in an April interview with The Cut, Ortega explained that her departure hadnothing to do with pay or scheduling. Apparently, Barrera’s firing was a factor, and she felt things were falling apart. Additionally, she didn’t feel sticking to the project would be right for her career. Now, Kevin Williamson, theScream 7director, has addressed losing Ortega and Barrera in the upcoming movie.
Kevin Williamson was tapped to directScream 7after Ortega and Barrera were gone. However, he is not new to the franchise because he wrote the original script forScream(1996),Scream 2(1997), andScream 4(2011). However, some expressed concern because he was a writer and not a director. Williamson, for his part, admitted that he was worried about crafting the next film without the Carpenter sisters. In an interview withScreenRant, he admitted that it wasScreamOG Neve Campbell who convinced him to direct the next movie. He admitted that he was lost for a short time.
It was sort of, “Well, what’s going to happen?” After we lost Melissa and Jenna, and it just looked like we weren’t going to see the Carpenter sisters in a third movie, it was kind of a bummer. It’s like, “What do we do next?”
Losing Jenna Ortega And Melissa Barrera CausedScream 7To Change Entirely
After losing Barrera and Ortega, they could no longer focus on the Carpenter sisters' storyline. However, Williamson said the idea of bringing and focusing on Campbell’s Sidney Prescott made him and the others excited. When Campbell read the script, she loved it and signed on to return to the franchise forScream 7. Campbell confirmed her return to the franchise onInstagramin March 2024. Campbell said she was honored to play herScreamcharacter again and she was delighted that Williamson would be directing the film because he isn’t just an artist, but also a close friend of hers for years. When asked for an opinion aboutCampbell’s return, Barrera, who was fired, saidshe “fully respects” the original cast member’s decision.
Scream 7focusing on Sidney after the exits of Barrera and Ortega marks a significant departure from the previous film’s narrative. Since the Carpenter sisters are no longer leading the story, the production is bringing back the franchise to the original final girl, and this is probably the best way to keep things interesting. Sidney is the emotional anchor and survivor of the franchise. She has the most evolution in the franchise, from being a teen victim to a resilient woman and mother. Many fans even associate theScreambrand with Sidney, so her return creates continuity and legacy. The Carpenter sisters were initially positioned as the next generation of survivors. Their abrupt departure left a major narrative gap that only an OG could fill. With Courtney Cox (Gale Weathers) andMatthew Lillard (Stu Macher)also returning,Scream 7sets up a full-circle arc that could feel like a rebirth for the original cast.
