Jenna Ortega Reportedly Not Returning for ‘Scream 7’: The Reason Behind Her Exit Explained

Image Credit: Paramount Pictures

The Carpenters sisters will be absent from Scream 7. Jenna Ortega is not expected to return for Scream 7, according to Deadline. The news comes one day after her co-star Melissa Barrera was fired from the film over her remarks about the Israel-Hamas war. Hollywood Life has reached out to Jenna’s rep for comment.

Jenna’s exit apparently has nothing to do with Melissa’s firing. Deadline reports that Jenna’s departure was being discussed prior to the actors’ strike in July 2023. Jenna has a hectic schedule ahead of her in 2024 as she heads to Ireland to film Wednesday season 2. Filming is expected to start in April 2024 and last until the summer.

As of November 2023, Scream 7 does not have a script yet. Given her Wednesday production schedule, it wouldn’t be possible for Jenna to film Scream 7 at the top of 2024. The seventh Scream film got the green light in August 2023 with a new director. Christopher Landon is set to take over directing duties from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

Jenna Ortega in ‘Scream 7.’ (Paramount Pictures)

The Scream fandom was shocked to learn Melissa had been removed from the cast of Scream 7 on November 21. Prior to her firing, the Vida actress had been posting pro-Palestinian comments regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Variety reported that Melissa was “quietly dropped” from the film due to her social media posts.

“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,” Spyglass, the production company behind Scream, said in a statement.

The Scream franchise got the reboot treatment in 2022 with the fifth film in the franchise. Melissa and Jenna joined the cast as Sam and Tara Carpenter. Sam became a crucial character in Scream’s revamp after the big reveal that she’s Billy Loomis’ daughter.

Scream 6, which became the first Scream film without Neve Campbell, earned $44.5 million on opening weekend, the best opening of the franchise. With two of its leading ladies out of the picture, the Scream franchise’s future is looking more uncertain than ever.