Summary
Jenna Ortega has become one of Hollywood’s biggest rising stars, best known for her role as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix seriesWednesday.However, she hasleft behind one of her other big hits in the slasher franchise,Scream,and now, the 22-year-old reveals why she won’t be returning to star in the 2026 filmScream 7after previously appearing in the last two movies.
Following her success in stepping inside the boots of the bleak and gothic-styled teenager onWednesday, Ortega saw her career rapidly take off and confirmed in 2023 thatshe would be a producer for the upcoming Season 2 of the series, explaining that she wanted to have more input on the projects she was involved in. Ortega went on to play Phoebe, the love interest of Judah Lewis’s character, in Netflix’s 2020 horror filmThe Babysitter: Killer Queenand has since starred and served as an executive producer on the A24 comedy-horror filmDeath of a Unicorn.Starting her career in Disney’sStuck in the Middle, and later inJane the Virginand Penn Badgley’sYou,the world truly is an oyster for the Californian native, which shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Jenna Ortega Explains Real Reason Why She Left Scream 7 Behind
In an interview withThe Cut, theWednesdaystar dismissed the rumors surrounding her exit from the upcoming movie,Scream 7, revealing that “it had nothing to do with pay or scheduling.”Ortega went on to explain that it came down to thedeparture of herScreamco-star Melissa Barrera, as well as directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin exiting the film, leaving Ortega feeling like theScreamfranchise was crumbling away.“The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart,” she explained.
“If Scream 7 wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.”
In 2024,Melissa Barrera was fired from the franchisefor speaking out against Israel. In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Barrera opened up about that period of her life and how tough it had been for her, especially amid rumors that she had been let go by her agency. “It’s definitely hard because I was just in such a cloudy state of mind, but I was very fortunate,” stated Barrera. “I had a lot of support from the people around me: my team and specifically my publicists — they just carried me.” During the chaos, Barrera praised Ortega for her support during her firing, stating that she was a good friend who showed up for her through a difficult time.
Many stars from the latestScreaminstallments won’t be making their way back for the seventh film. However, some legacy cast members like Neve Campbell will be returning to her original role as Sidney Prescott, along with Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, and Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown reprising their roles as siblings Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin. OtherScream 7cast membersincluded Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, and Anna Camp.
Scream 7is all set to release in theaters on Jul 21, 2025.
