Last night, the news broke that Scream star Melissa Barrera would not be returning for the upcoming seventh instalment in the long-running slasher franchise after being fired from her role as Sam Carpenter for sharing what were deemed to be "anti-Semitic" comments on social media.
The studio released a statement shortly after, explaining why they decided to drop Barrera from the next movie, citing "rhetoric that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech."
“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.”
The studio received a lot of backlash for this, and there was speculation that some of her Scream cast-mates might show their support. Today, a rumor did the rounds that Jenna Ortega, who plays Barrera's on-screen sister Tara, may have been the first to take a stand.
It's now been confirmed that Ortega will not be back for the next film - but the trades claim that her decision has nothing to do with Barrera's departure.
According to THR, Ortega’s representatives informed Spyglass prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike that she would not be returning. Multiple sources say the actress "either had no deal or, in the renegotiating of her option, asked what the movie company deemed was too much money."
This wouldn't be the first time the studio lost a star due to salary demands, as Neve Campbell decided not to reprise the role of Sidney Prescot for the most recent film after revealing that she was unhappy with what she was offered to return.
Campbell spoke about watching Scream VI for the first time during a recent appearance at During an appearance at Monster-Mania Con.
“I actually thought they did a really good job. I think the cast are really powerful, wonderful actors. I don’t wish these movies ill will. I wanted the movie to be good. It’s not like I’m sitting in my house going, ‘I hope it sucks, I hope it doesn’t do well.’ I care about all the people involved.”
“There’s someone at the top who only thinks about money and that’s their prerogative,” she added.
What this means for Scream VII is unclear, but any story plans that may have been in place will obviously need to be extensively altered without the movie's two main stars.