It’s been a rollercoaster of a week to be a Scream fan following an influx of news regarding casting shakeups in the franchise. For the time being, both Melissa Barerra and Jenna Ortega are out as the Carpenter sisters after starring in the last two Scream movies. In a new update about what went down behind the scenes, Ortega was reportedly asking for a significantly larger paycheck on the film before exiting the franchise.
Melissa Barerra was fired from Scream 7 last Wednesday after she made comments on social media related to the ongoing Hamas-Israel War. Following that, rumors spread that Ortega had left the movie too in solidarity with Barerra, but it was later clarified that she had to exit due to scheduling conflicts with Wednesday Season 2 and her role in the Beetlejuice 2 cast. Now The Hollywood Reporter has heard from its sources that Ortega actually left one of the most highly-anticipated upcoming horror movies due to disagreements over her paycheck.
Per the report, Ortega asked for a bigger paycheck for Scream 7 following her turn as a massive star, most notably with her Wednesday series. While the actress has allegedly been paid six figures in past installments, she asked for seven figures knowing full well there was a big chance Spyglass wouldn’t play. The Scream movies are famously made on a smaller budget, with the production budget of 2022’s Scream reportedly being $24 million, and 2023’s Scream 6’s budget estimated to be around $30 million.
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Previously, Neve Campbell dropped out of Scream 6 due to a pay dispute after previously returning to the franchise for 2022’s Scream, citing that the offer that was presented to her “did not equate to the value” she has brought to the franchise. While Jenna Ortega wasn’t a huge name when she was initially cast as Tara Carpenter, she has since skyrocketed to become one of the biggest stars on the planet and was looking for a pay bump to reflect that.
The source claims that Spyglass co-founder Gary Barber feels that large salaries for Neve Campbell or Jenna Ortega are not necessary for another Scream movie to do well. The last two Scream films were big hits, making well over their budget and turning a profit. Barber apparently thinks the next Scream movie can continue that trend without Wednesday’s Ortega in the movie and making seven figures on the production.
Scream 7 is set to be helmed by Happy Death Day and Freaky director Christopher Landon. Per these recent casting shakeups, Spyglass is reportedly going back to the drawing board on the movie’s storyline and could very well try to bring back more legacy characters to the franchise. We’ll keep you updated here on CinemaBlend as we learn more about Scream 7’s production status.
