Jenna Ortega will reportedly not return for Scream VII.
Sources connected to the matter told Deadline that the 21-year-old actress' exit from the franchise was discussed prior to the actors strike. A script for the next Scream film is reportedly not finished and, instead, Ortega will head to Ireland in April to shoot the second season of Netflix's Wednesday, which is scheduled to film through the summer.
Ortega's exit is reportedly not related to the firing of her co-star, Melissa Barrera, who was removed from the upcoming sequel over pro-Palestine comments she made regarding the Hamas-Israel War.
In an undated Instagram post re-shared to X (formerly known as Twitter), Barrera wrote, "Jewish children are dying. Innocent jewish people are dying. Palestinian children are dying and have been dying for decades. Innocent Palestinians are and have been dying for decades. Not always because of bombs, but because they live in a prison and have had vital resources limited. Why is it that a designated terrorist organization is that, but a government is just acting out in self defense? Why is it brown people are terrorists but white governments that act in similar ways are not? This questions [sic] is bigger than the current conflict. I pray for peace for everyone. I pray for peace and freedom in that region.”
Spyglass Media, the studio behind Scream, said in a statement provided to Variety, “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."
Scream VII's director, Christopher Landon, responded to the Mexican actress' firing, writing, "This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make."
Ortega will be seen again on the big screen for the long-awaited sequel to Beetlejuice, which is set to hit theaters on Sept. 6, 2024.
