Last year, Spyglass Entertainment announced that they had fired Melissa Barrera from Scream VII following comments she made on social media about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The decision was largely met with a negative response from fans of the slasher franchise, and shortly after rising star Jenna Ortega also decided against returning for the next instalment, the project lost its director. Now, Spyglass is thought to be going back to the drawing board for another potential reboot.
Talking to Deadline, Barrera commented on her departure for the first time since sharing a statement online in which she vowed to "continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom."
"I’m just so grateful for what I got to infuse in the franchise, and that’s something I’ll be proud of forever," the actress told the trade yesterday evening. Asked how she feels about reuniting with her co-stars and receiving their support, Barrera added, "We’re family for life. If we’re ever in the vicinity of each other, we always find each other and that’s what happened at that event [the MPTF’s 17th Annual Evening Before Gala]."
"When we find each other, we just want to spend the night with each other, and nothing is ever going to change that," she concluded.
Barrera isn't sweating her Scream departure and already has a new horror movie on the way called Your Monster. In that, she plays a soft-spoken actress who finds her voice again after encountering a terrifying and weirdly charming Monster who lives in her closet.
Interestingly, Entertainment Tonight recently spoke with Jasmin Savoy Brown who confirmed she's been left in the dark about her own Scream future. "I haven’t gotten a call, so I think if you want to ask Spyglass what they’re doing, you can,” she said. “I haven’t gotten a call."
When Spyglass fired Barrera, they issued a statement which painted her in an alarming light. "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."
Most seemed to agree it was an overreaction and the impact on Barrera's career seems to have been minimal. The Israel-Hamas conflict is incredibly complex and an issue which has seen many actors speak out online, only to find themselves fending off "cancel culture."
Check out her Scream comments in full below.