Actor Melissa Barrera has been reportedly dropped from the upcoming Scream film after her social media posts on the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. In the past weeks, Barrera has posted and reposted content about the conflict in which Palestinians are being killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. Specifically, she has called the war a “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing.” The comments have reportedly led to Spyglass, which produces the franchise, dropping her from the project.
The Scream franchise became a massive hit when it was first released in 1996, starring Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott and her struggle against a masked killer. Since then, the horror comedy series has grown into a multi-franchise. The original cast has been replaced, but the film’s spirit remains unchanged as the characters and themes are revisited. The franchise has had several sequels and a spin-off, with many fans anticipating Scream VII in 2025.
Barrera joined the cast in 2022’s Scream 4, leading to the fifth and sixth movies in the series, where she played Sam Carpenter, the older sister of Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega). She was expected to reprise her role in Scream 7.
Earlier this week, Variety reported that CAA had dropped actor Daria Dakhil over similar anti-Israeli posts. The agency felt the actress was “promoting a false sense of hatred.” Dakhil has been vocal about her support for Gaza and spoke against Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas militants. She’s also called for a boycott of companies that support Israel.
In her Instagram post, Barrera referred to the situation in Gaza as a “genocide” and claimed that there was “censorship” in the media over the war. She also used the hashtag #endthesiege to promote her thoughts.
Spyglass has not officially responded to the development nor released a statement. In the past, the company has defended the franchise against accusations of antisemitism by releasing a statement emphasizing the importance of sensitivity in the face of such allegations.
Scream VII was announced this year with Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon taking over for Radio Silence directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The seventh movie is set to debut in October of 2025. The producers of the film, Spyglass Media Group, are working to keep the same creative team in place as they had for the last two films. The studio hopes to continue its streak of success with the new movie.