The first trailer for Scream 7 was recently released, featuring Neve Campbell's return as Sidney Prescott. The movie, however, is much different than it was just a few years ago. The seventh installment in the popular slasher franchise was originally set to center around Melissa Barrera's Sam and Jenna Ortega's Tara. However, plans changed when Barrera was fired from the movie after her statements on social media regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict. A day after her firing, Ortega dropped out of the film. Following that, director Christopher Landon exited the project as well.
Scream 7 was then reworked, and Neve Campbell—who had previously decided not to return for Scream 6 due a pay dispute—was signed on to star. The film is now centered around Sidney and her daughter (Isabel May) as they're forced to defend themselves against a new Ghostface. As mentioned, the first trailer for the movie recently came out. Unfortunately for the project, the release has courted controversy on social media, as people are expressing their dissatisfaction with the film:
As reported by Deadline, the Palestinian-led movement Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement is also supporting a boycott against the film, supported by 22 other organizations.
In 2024, in an interview with The Independent, Barrera spoke about her firing and how it affected her:
"It was the darkest and hardest year of my life, and I had to reevaluate everything. There were times where I felt like my life was over. It was quiet for like 10 months. I was still getting offers for small things here and there—I'm not going to lie and say there was nothing—but [the message] was, ‘Oh, she probably doesn’t have work, she’ll say yes to anything.'"
In 2025, nearly two years after her exit from Scream 7, Ortega opened up about the real reason for leaving the horror franchise. Speaking to The Cut, the Wednesday star said: "It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling. 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."
Furthermore, Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky) spoke to Ashley Cullins for her book, "Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror." There, he explained why he quit as director of Scream 7, stating that Sam was originally the movie's main character: "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."
Scream 7 is scheduled for release on February 27, 2026.