Back in 2023, the news broke that Scream star Melissa Barrera would not be returning for the upcoming seventh instalment in the long-running slasher franchise after being fired from her role as Sam Carpenter for sharing what were deemed to be "anti-Semitic" comments on social media.
Co-star Jenna Ortega dropped out just a couple of weeks later, and director Christopher Landon decided to step away shortly after.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago," the filmmaker wrote on social media at the time. "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 more to add to the conversation other than I hope Wes’ legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world. What he and Kevin created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow.”
It was generally assumed that Landon left the project following the departure of its two lead stars, and the Happy Death Day director has now confirmed that Barrera's firing was directly responsible for his decision to quit.
"I made my decision to walk away about a week after they fired her," Landon says in a new book titled Your Favorite Scary Movie by Ashley Cullins. "There was no movie anymore. The whole script was about her. I didn't sign on to make 'a Scream movie.' I signed on to make that movie. When that movie no longer existed, I moved on."
Kevin Williamson, who penned the script for Wes Craven's original, was later announced as Landon's replacement.
Ortega also broke her silence on her Scream 7 departure in a recent interview, and despite reports to the contrary, it sounds like she decided not to return after learning that Barrera and original directors Radio Silence would not be back.
“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega told The Cut. “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.”
“I’ve happened to join a lot of franchises, which is so great to be a part of legacy,” she added. “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.”
Some of Barrera and Ortega's cast mates will return for Scream 7, and they'll be joined by Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott.
David Arquette is also set to return as former police officer Dewey Riley, along with one of the two OG Ghostfaces, Matthew Lillard's Stuart ‘Stu’ Macher, and Scott Foley as Scream 3's Ghostface Roman Bridger.
Are these characters somehow still alive, or will the Scream franchise finally introduce a supernatural element?
Possible spoilers ahead.
According to a recent rumor from Daniel Richtman, some of the previous movies' Ghostfaces (as well as some other characters, evidently) will return via AI/Deepfake technology, which will reportedly "play a significant role in the plot."
It seems part of the new Ghostface/Ghostfaces plan to torment Sidney will be to make her believe that the killers she defeated in earlier films have returned to exact their revenge.