Jenna Ortega drops out of ‘Scream 7’ — and it’s not about Melissa Barrera’s firing
Her decision caused several fans to scream.
Jenna Ortega has dropped out of “Scream VII,” according to Deadline.
The star’s decision to exit the horror film is reportedly due to scheduling conflicts with Netflix’s “Wednesday” — and not related to the firing of Melissa Barrera, who played Ortega’s older sister in the franchise.
The outlet claimed that Ortega, 21, decided to bow out prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which prohibited actors from promoting their upcoming films or discussing any future projects.
Ortega is slated to appear in the upcoming sequel to the 1988 dark comedy “Beetlejuice” as well as reprising her role as the sociopathic Wednesday Addams for a second season.
The Post reached out to Ortega for comment.
The news comes after Barrera, 33, was fired by Spyglass Entertainment after she posted several Instagram Stories about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“I too come from a colonized country,” the “Vida” actress penned last month alongside a Mexican flag.
“Palestine WILL be free,” she added in her caption. “They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds.”
On Monday, she wrote: “At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude.”
Barrera also compared Gaza to a concentration camp.
“Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp,” the actress claimed. “Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity no water.”
She added, “People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”
In response to Barrera’s departure, Spyglass issued a statement about her posts.
“ ‘Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear,” the production company said in a statement. “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.”
Barrera portrayed Samantha Carpenter in 2022’s “Scream,” alongside Ortega and franchise vets Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell.
The actress later reprised her role in 2023’s “Scream VI.”
Christopher Landon, the director tapped to make “Scream VII,” issued a brief statement on Barrera’s exit.
“This is my statement,” Landon, 48, tweeted alongside a broken-heart emoji Tuesday. “Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”
Landon has since deleted the tweet.
The new installment of the slasher franchise is slated to hit theaters in 2025 after being delayed by the actors’ strike.
