Skeet Ulrich, who played one half of the original Ghostface duo in the first Scream movie, returned for the 2022 revival as a sort of twisted spirit guide for Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), who was revealed to be his character Billy Loomis' daughter.
Over the course of Scream 5 and its 2023 follow-up, Sam began to give in to the homicidal urges she inherited from her father. Carpenter was able to direct her bloodlust at the bad guys in order to keep her sister (Jenna Ortega) and friends safe, but the closing moments of the most recent movie suggested that her darker side may ultimately take over.
While speaking to EW, Ulrich confirmed that the original plan was indeed for Sam Carpenter to follow in her dad's bloody footsteps and donned a Ghostface costume
"I've been vocal about that. I'm not," said the actor when asked if fans can expect to see him in next year's Scream 7. "When we talked about coming back for 5, it was a three-picture arc for Billy Loomis to slowly turn his daughter into the killer. Obviously, those things didn't pan out, given certain things that happened. But, no, I know nothing about the seventh."
Those "certain things" included Barrera being fired over social media posts related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, and Ortega and director Christopher Landon parting ways with the project shortly after.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago," Landon 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.”
Landon has previously spoken about Barrera's firing (a lot of fans jumped to the conclusion that he had something to do with it), but more recently addressed his decision to step away.
It was generally assumed that Landon left the project due to 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 hand the movie over to someone else.
"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.