Jenna Ortega has opened up about her exit from Scream VII.
The 22-year-old Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star, who joined the horror franchise in 2023 for its sixth movie, was expected to reprise her role as Tara Carpenter, the younger sister of Melissa Barrera’s Sam, in the forthcoming installment.
However, in November 2023, reports broke that Ortega had dropped out of the slasher due to “scheduling conflicts” with the second season of her hit Netflix series, Wednesday. News of her exit came the day after Barrera had been fired from the film over comments she made about Israel-Palestine on social media.
Ortega is now dispelling the rumors surrounding her Scream VII departure, confirming in a new interview with The Cut that “it had nothing to do with pay or scheduling.”
“The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart,” she explained, sharing that by the time she had made her decision, Scream VI’s directing duo, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, had already dropped out.
“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,” the You alum added.
Scream VII, which is due for release on February 27, 2026, has faced a mountain of trouble since Barrera’s firing.
The In the Heights breakout, 33, was axed from the film after several social media posts she had made regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict were accused of being antisemitic.
“Spyglass’s 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,” a Spyglass spokesperson said in a statement at the time.
In the aftermath of her firing, Barrera released her own statement: “First and foremost I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people … I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism. I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me.”
Barrera later reflected on the “dark” period in a November 2024 interview with The Independent. “It was the darkest and hardest year of my life, and I had to reevaluate everything,” she admitted. “There were times where I felt like my life was over.”
In the month after both Barrera and Ortega’s exits, director Christopher Landon, who had signed on to helm the new edition, announced he had also quit.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream VII weeks ago,” he wrote in a later-deleted X post. “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.
“I have nothing more to add to the conversation other than I hope [original Scream director Wes Craven’s] legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world. What he and Kevin created is something amazing, and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow,” Landon said.
The franchise’s original screenwriter, Kevin Williams, has now taken over directing duties on the seventh film.
While Scream VII’s plot remains under wraps, it will welcome the return of franchise legacies Scott Foley, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, alongside newcomers Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, Anna Camp, Joel McHale and Mark Consuelos.
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