Melissa Barrera has detailed the support she received from Jenna Ortega following her controversial firing from Scream 7. First introduced as Sam and Tara Carpenter in 2022’s Scream, it was widely expected that Barrera’s and Ortega’s characters would continue to serve as a new generation of franchise leads following the critical and commercial success of their debut outing and 2023’s Scream 6. However, those plans would quickly fall into disarray when Barrera was fired from Scream 7 in response to social media posts she had shared in response to the Israeli-Hamas conflict in late 2023.
Speaking with Screen Rant off the back of the recent VOD release of Barrera’s latest horror movie, Abigail, the former Scream actor reflected on the “super sweet” support she received from her onscreen sister. Admitting that the pair hadn’t spoken in a while due to Ortega’s increasingly busy schedule, Barrera revealed that Ortega constantly checked in on her when she was first fired from the next Scream sequel. Yet despite not being in recent contact, Barrera maintains that she “will protect her forever with my life.” Check out her comments below:
While revised plans for Scream 7 are now positioned to reintroduce Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, audiences are left wondering if the former Carpenter sisters could potentially be reunited on another project. Given the pair’s onscreen chemistry and behind-the-scenes camaraderie, the possibility of seeing them back together would be an exciting possibility for those disappointed by their dramatic exits from the slasher franchise. While the main impediment to any such plans would be finding the time in the pair’s respective schedules, an onscreen reunion could prove a powerful audience draw on top of Ortega’s already significant star power.
Though some may be quick to suggest that Barrera could potentially join her former co-star on a future season of Netflix’s Wednesday, perhaps the most intriguing possibility lies in having the pair reteam with Radio Silence’s Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin. Not only were the directing duo the ones responsible for teaming Barrera and Ortega to begin with, but they have also recently revealed that they are no longer involved in long-gestating plans for an Escape from New York reboot.
With the pair now likely looking to focus on a new project, their attention may very well turn back to Barrera and Ortega as potential collaborators. Moreover, given their continued faith in Barrera’s abilities thanks to their work on Abigail, it seems the directors have already established a good working rapport with both stars. Regardless of whether such a project ever comes to pass, there would likely be great interest in seeing the two stars back together following their respective Scream 7 departures.