Wednesday Addams star Jenna Ortega has officially been replaced by a familiar face.
It’s been a rollercoaster few months for the upcoming slasher sequel Scream 7. With actors and creatives exiting the film left and right, many fans assume it is now completely dead in the water, but now, Paramount and Spyglass Media are taking another “stab” at the film.
The controversy began in November last year when Melissa Barrera, who played “final girl” Sam Carpenter in the latest films Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023)and was set to reprise her role in the seventh installment, was fired for sharing a social media post in support of Palestine during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which was viewed as antisemitic by the film’s producers at Spyglass Media Group.
Many fans rushed to Barrera’s defense and boycotted the film, however, it was later reported that megastar Jenna Ortega (Sam’s on-screen sister Tara Carpenter) had also left the project over a salary dispute, echoing the reason franchise star Neve Campbell chose not to appear in Scream VI — her only absence in the series. However, other sources claim that Ortega’s exit was due to a scheduling conflict with Season 2 of her hit Netflix series Wednesday(2022).
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Either way, things went from bad to worse when the film’s director, Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky), followed Barrera and Ortega out the door, announcing his equally shocking exit on X/Twitter, saying, “I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7weeks ago. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it’s time to move on.”
Unsurprisingly, writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, who also penned the screenplay for the last two films, were said to be “starting from scratch” with the script. But since then, there has been no news on Scream 7 — until now.
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In a shocking twist that would rival that of any of the six Scream movies, Neve Campbell, best known for portraying the legendary final girl Sidney Prescott in Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), and Scream (2022), has now confirmed she will be returning for the new film, replacing Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega (who were basically Campbell’s replacements from the 2022 sequel onwards), while also revealing the new director, another franchise star.
Campbell, 50, shared the news on her official Instagram account on Tuesday:
Read her full post below:
“Hi All. I’m so excited to announce this news!!! Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!! It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned.
I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!! Well actually I could.
While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct Scream 7!
This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years. To the amazing Scream fans, I hope you are as excited as I am. See you on set @kevwilliamson“
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Campbell’s lengthy post is accompanied by a photograph of the script, whose cover reads “Untitled Scream 7 written by Guy Busick, story by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, directed by Kevin Williamson.”
Like the Sidney Prescott actress, Williamson is no stranger to the Scream franchise, having written the screenplay for Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 4. Scream 7 will be his directorial debut in the Scream series, following the late Wes Craven (the first four films) and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (the last two installments).
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But while Scream 7 is officially back on track, needless to say, this will be a very different film than the one we’d have gotten with Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega at front and center. The Scream movies are notorious for their constant script alterations (a clever way to stop leaks from happening before a film’s release), but Scream 7, as it was originally intended to be, is dead. Whatever form this new version will take remains to be seen.
There’s no release date for Scream 7 or Wednesday Season 2.
How do you feel about Neve Campbell returning as Sidney Prescott in Scream 7 and taking over from Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega? Let Inside the Magic know your thoughts in the comments down below!
