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Scream VII is losing a major cast member - Jenna Ortega, known for her role in Wednesday. Ortega's departure was first reported by Deadline on November 23, 2023. The news comes just a day after Spyglass Media Group announced that Melissa Barrera, who plays Jenna's onscreen sister, was dropped from the film's cast due to her social media post about the Israel-Palestine war.
According to Deadline, the 21-year-old actress' exit was in talks before the SAG-AFTRA strike. The script of Scream VII is not yet completed and Ortega has to head to Ireland in April to shoot the second season of Wednesday, which is expected to conclude someone in the summer.
There is no confirmed news about when Scream VII will go into production and Jenna has yet to wrap up shooting for Beetlejuice 2, which has a few more days of shoot left after it was interrupted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
In 2022, the Scream series was revived, bringing back stars from original movies like Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, as well as fresh faces like Ortega and Barrera, who play sisters Tara and Sam Carpenter.
"Ain't nobody gonna watch that movie without them": Netizens react to Jenna Ortega dropping out of Scream VII
Due to the timing of the two actresses leaving the series, internet users wondered if Jenna Ortega departed the franchise in support of Melissa Barrera. As news of the Wednesday actress dropping out of the Scream VII spread, many were quick to celebrate, stating that there was no reason to watch the movie without them.
With both Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera gone from the franchise, its future remains uncertain. Neve Campbell, who played the lead in the original movies, declined to return for the 2023 film over a pay dispute, and it's unlikely that she will return for the upcoming installment.
Scream VII is set to be directed by Christopher Landon, who in a now-deleted post on X, stated, "Everything s*cks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make," following Barrera's sacking.
Ortega and her representative have not released a statement about the development.
