Jenna Ortega, one of the main characters of the most recent Scream movies, won't return to play the role of Tara Carpenter in the franchise's seventh edition.
The decision became public shortly after her colleague Melissa Barrera was fired from the cast for comments deemed antisemitic by Spyglass Media, the studio in charge of the movie, leading to speculation about both events being related.
However, according to Deadline, this is not the case. The outlet reported that Ortega was already involved in conversations with this purpose even before the actors' strike.
The lack of a definitive script for Scream 7 and overlapping commitments with the second season of Wednesday, the TV series that launched her to worldwide fame, contributed to this. Further complicating her schedule is the production of Beetlejuice 2, which has been extended as a result of the strike.
Beyond the reason, Ortega's departure leaves Scream 7 with some key members of its cast. Barrera was fired this week after publishing a series of Instagram posts about the Israel-Hamas war.
"Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity, no water...people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING," Barrera said.
In response to Barrera's post, Spyglass, the studio behind the Scream films, released a statement explaining their decision to part ways with her.
"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," said Spyglass.
Since the early days of the conflict, Barrera has voiced her support for the people of Palestine, and posted on Instagram calling on President Joe Biden to call for a ceasefire to evacuate residents and allow access to humanitarian aid.
Barrera spoke publicly about her firing for the first time on Thursday, saying "silence is not an option for me." "As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need," reads a paragraph of Barrera's post.
"I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism. I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom," it adds.
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