Original plans for Scream 7 called for it to continue Sam Carpenter's story as the franchise's new lead. That all changed when actress Melissa Barrera voiced her unfiltered thoughts on the Israel-Hamas war, prompting the studio to fire her.
Co-stars and directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin rallied around Barrera, as have many fans, and the Scream franchise continued without her.
Released earlier this year, Scream 7 drew largely negative reviews, but still grossed $214 million on a reported $45 million budget. That was a significant increase from both Scream VI ($167 million) and 2022's Scream ($138 million).
When Barrera criticised the Israeli government's killing of Palestinian civilians, comparing Gaza to a concentration camp, Spyglass issued a scathing statement, saying it had dropped the actress because the studio had "zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form."
Accused by them of "hate speech," Barrera was also pushed out of her talent agency, WME, but managed to avoid being cancelled by Hollywood thanks to the Israel-Hamas war being such a divisive topic (just as many people agree with her, as those who vehemently disagree).
Talking to Variety (via FearHQ.com), the Scream alum was asked if she felt her career was over after being fired from the iconic horror franchise.
"The pessimistic side of me was having those thoughts, but the optimistic side of me was like, 'F*** no. I’m sure the tide will turn.' And it has. But because I was one of the first to speak up, to this day there are still a lot of people in the industry who have a personal grudge against me."
"Those people still deny that what’s going on is a genocide. So, we’re never going to see eye to eye on that," Barrera continued. "I mean the people that accused me of being antisemitic, and the people that run Spyglass. And they’re wrong. Just factually wrong."
When it was put to her that Jenna Ortega walked away from the franchise to support her, she shook her head and replied. "That’s not the reality of things. I got some messages of support from people in the industry, but what I found is that private messages with no action mean nothing."
Agreeing with the interviewer that Scream 7 "sucked," Barrera said, "I think they lied about the numbers. I don’t think it made that much money. But at the stage door, I sign 'Scream' things every night. People who love me from those movies are coming to see the show, and they can’t ever take that away from me."
As for the actors who did star in the movie, the actress once again concurred with the interviewer, who put it to her that those who appeared in Scream 7 are "scabs" who crossed "the picket line."
"Oh, one hundred percent. I think they all are. And they have to live with that," Barrera declared. "The only way they were able to make that movie after what happened was to nostalgia-bait as much as possible."
In Scream 7, when a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has built a new life, her darkest fears are realised as her daughter (Isabel May) becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all.
Joel McHale joined the franchise as Sidney's husband, Mark Evans. Scott Foley, who played Roman Bridger in Scream 3, also returned, alongside Scream veterans Matthew Lillard and David Arquette as Stu Macher and Dewey Riley, respectively. Joining them were Anna Camp, Mark Consuelos, Ethan Embry, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Michelle Randolph, and Jimmy Tatro.
Scream creator and original writer Kevin Williamson stepped behind the camera for the first time to direct Scream 7. Guy Busick wrote the screenplay, based on a story by Busick and James Vanderbilt.
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