Summary

  • Scream 7 faces uncertainty after the departure of its two main stars, leaving the future of the franchise in question.
  • Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream 7 due to comments deemed anti-Semitic, sparking debate among fans.
  • Jenna Ortega has also exited Scream 7 citing scheduling conflicts, leaving the film without its two Final Girls and raising questions about the story's direction.

The Scream franchise was successfully revived through the reboot/requel trend after Scream 4 was supposed to be the final chapter in the saga. The fifth installment in the franchise and first in the reboot trilogy, simply titled Scream, brought back the three survivors of the first four movies – Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley – and introduced a new generation of characters set to lead the reboot trilogy.

Sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) were established as the reboot trilogy’s new Final Girls, with Sam being the link between both generations as she was revealed to be Billy Loomis’ daughter, whom he had in high school. After surviving two Ghostface murder sprees, Sam and Tara were set to return in Scream 7, but now neither will be part of it. This puts a big question mark over the future of Scream 7, while also making way for speculation on which legacy characters could return, including the saga’s main Final Girl, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell).

Melissa Barrera Was Reportedly Fired From Scream 7

Scream 7 will no longer have Sam Carpenter

Sam standing outside in the dark in Scream 5

On November 21, 2023, it was reported that Barrera has now also shared a statement regarding this situation, in which she continued to share her for Palestine and reiterated that she “won’t be silenced”.

Sam was brought into the Scream reboot trilogy to take Sidney’s place as Final Girl, and her link to Billy Loomis is what triggered the 2022 Woodsboro murders. Sam’s boyfriend, Richie, and Tara’s best friend, Amber, were fans of the Stab saga and were unsatisfied with Stab 8, so they planned a new wave of murders to provide new “material” for a future Stab movie, and they would have framed Sam as the killer given her link to Billy. Sam and Tara (along with their friends Mindy and Chad) survived the attacks, but faced new Ghostface killers in Scream 6.

Mirroring Scream 2, in Scream 6 the killers were the father and siblings of Richie, who wanted revenge for his death and so wanted to kill Sam. At the end of Scream 6, Sam almost took Billy’s Ghostface mask with her, hinting at her possibly going on a darker path in Scream 7, but that tease won’t pay off anymore.

Jenna Ortega Reportedly Exited Scream 7 Due To Scheduling Conflicts

Scream 7 has now lost Tara Carpenter, too

Tara Carpenter on the phone in the opening scene of Scream 5

When Melissa Barrera’s firing was confirmed, speculation about how Scream 7 was going to explain Sam’s absence began, and it was understood that Tara would now be the lead of the story. Unfortunately, Scream 7 has now also lost its other Final Girl as Jenna Ortega has also left the project. The day after Barrera’s exit, it was reported that Jenna Ortega was also leaving Scream 7, though the exact reason for it hasn’t been confirmed. It has been reported that Ortega left due to scheduling conflicts with Wednesday season 2 and that her exit had already been talked about prior to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike (via THR), though it’s also believed it has to do with Barrera’s exit.

Although Tara has no links to the original characters of the Scream saga, unlike Chad and Mindy who are Randy Meeks’ nephew and niece, she became the reboot trilogy’s Final Girl along with Sam. Throughout Scream 2022 and Scream 6, Sam and Tara tried to reconnect while also fighting for their lives, and just as their relationship seemed to be improving, their story has been cut short and will now be left inconclusive.

What Scream 7's Director Has Said About Scream 7's Future

Scream 7 will be directed by Christopher Landon

Collage of Ghostface in front of a scared Sam and Tara

Scream 7 will be the only movie in the reboot trilogy not directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and in August 2023, Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) was announced as the director. The same day Barrera’s exit from Scream 7 was announced, Landon shared his feelings on the topic in a now-deleted post on Twitter/X that read “This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make”. Landon hasn’t said anything about the future of Scream 7 so far, but according to Variety, the project is now going through a full creative reboot without its two main stars.

What The Absence Of Sam & Tara Carpenter Means For Scream 7

Scream 7 is facing a big problem without its two main characters

Blended image of Ghostface in the center with Tara holding a gun and Sam looking scared

Sam and Tara were not only the new leads of the Scream franchise, but along with Chad and Mindy, they became the “Core Four”, a name they ended up embracing at the end of Scream 6. Without Sam and Tara, Scream 7 is left without its Final Girls and puts an end to the Core Four, and while Chad and Mindy could take the lead, it would be hard to believe that they have become the targets of a new Ghostface killer rather than being attacked for being close to Sam and Tara. Scream 7 has to find a way to regain its audience’s interest and attention while also coming up with satisfying explanations for Sam and Tara’s absences, as their stories will now be left inconclusive.

Will Neve Campbell's Sidney Return For Scream 7 Now?

Sidney's return is more likely now

Scream 7’s best option at the moment would be to bring Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott back. Campbell returned in Scream 2022, where, after learning about Dewey’s death, she went back to Woodsboro to help Gale avenge him and get rid of the new Ghostface killer(s). Sidney was last seen sitting in an ambulance with Gale at Scream 2022, where she shared an emotional moment with Sam. Sidney’s story was left incomplete as Campbell didn’t return in Scream 6 due to salary disputes, and so Gale mentioned that Sidney and her family had gone into hiding for their safety. Scream 7, then, is the last chance to give Sidney Prescott a proper ending.

Sidney coming back in Scream 7 is also thematically fitting. Scream 2022 and Scream 6 focused on one legacy character each, with the former following Dewey Riley closely while the latter focused on Gale. Scream 7 can be Sidney’s movie in the reboot trilogy, and it would be fitting to end the saga with the character who started it. Rumors about Neve Campbell returning in Scream 7 had been floating around before Barrera’s exit, and they have now gained more force. Some sources have even mentioned Patrick Dempsey’s Mark Kincaid as a character who could return in Scream 7 (via Variety), especially as it’s now confirmed that he and Sidney got married and had children. If true, Scream 7 could be more focused on Sidney’s family and how the Ghostface murders have affected them.

At the time of writing, Scream 7 is still planned to happen, even if it’s without its two main characters, and it’s unknown if there will be more cast exits or if Sam and Tara will be recast. Scream 7 could still be saved if the story does justice to Sam and Tara, and its best option so far is bringing Sidney back to finally close the Scream franchise.

Sources: Variety, THR.