Jenna Ortega Not Returning For Scream 7, Full Creative Retooling Planned

Scream 7 is down both of its stars with Jenna Ortega being out of the sequel, and a new report says the film is undergoing a creative retooling. Deadline reports that Ortega will not be returning for the seventh film due to her filming commitments to Wednesday. The report notes that the exit was discussed before the writer’s strike and is not related to Melissa Barrera’s exit, which came after Spyglass dropped her for comments she made about the Hamas-Israel conflict.

Variety reports that the decision to fire Barrera was made in recent days and after they were notified that Ortega would not return. The report from Variety notes that plans for the new film were being retooled before Barrera’s ouster, as Ortega’s exit required changes to be made. Individuals close to the production say that there were still hopes that Ortega could return for a cameo, but that is no longer in the case, though one source claimed Ortega was “never in the mix.” Ortega and Barrera had two films on their contracts, which were fufilled with Scream and Scream VI so a new deal would be needed for the seventh film.

James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, who wrote Scream and Scream VI, will work on a fresh draft and while some set pieces and twists may be preserved, the movie will need new protagonists. The report notes that producers are hoping to get Neve Campbell back to reprise Sidney Prescott, which she last played in 2022’s Scream. Patrick Dempsey is reportedly on their wish list to potentially return. However, no potential returning actors have been in active talks to return thus far.

The hope was to have Scream 7 release in 2025 and there is a hope that the film could potentially hit that release date if director Christopher Landon the writers can come up with a story.