Summary
- Uncertainty surrounds
Scream
franchise after
Scream 7
collapsed due to firing of Melissa Barrera. - A three-movie story arc involving Sam and Billy Loomis was considered, but
Scream 7
is unlikely to explore this direction after recent setbacks. - Issues with
Scream 7
include Barrera’s firing, Jenna Ortega’s departure, and director Christopher Landon’s exit, leaving the franchise in limbo.
The future of the Scream franchise remains uncertain after the collapse of Scream 7 following the firing of Melissa Barrera, but it seems that there were original plans in place for where the sequel could have headed. Franchise star Skeet Ulrich shared details on those plans, which could have included a three-movie story arc that was pitched to him involving his character, Billy Loomis, and Melissa Barrera’s Sam Carpenter.
The sixth installment in the American meta-horror slasher franchise Scream.
Release Date March 10, 2023
Studio Paramount Pictures, Project X Entertainment, Radio Silence Productions
Tagline New York. New rules.
During an exclusive chat with Screen Rant, Ulrich revealed that he was pitched a three-act story involving Sam (Barrera) which would have explored Sam’s murderous instincts that are connected to her father, Billy, played by Ulrich in the first Scream film and as visions in Sam’s mind in the last two installments. The actor explained:
“Exactly that. I was hoping for exactly that, and that’s sort of the idea that was pitched to me a couple of years ago. That it was a three-movie arc, with that in mind. Now, I never saw any of the drafts of seven or anything that…And I don’t know, I mean, it’s possible that it didn’t include any of that as well. But yeah, that was my hope is that if it was going to mean anything, that it directly impacted the plot.”
The Scream Franchise is Stuck in Limbo
Paramount Pictures
The likelihood of Scream 7 going in this direction is pretty slim at this point given a series of unfortunate events that derailed the film before production even got underway. Back in November, Barrera was fired from the seventh installment due to social media posts that Spyglass Media, who holds the franchise rights, deemed antisemitic in regard to the war between Israel and Hamas. The very next day, it was announced that Jenna Ortega, who played Barrera’s younger sister Tara Carpenter, would also not be returning due to scheduling conflicts with Season 2 of Wednesday.
As if things couldn’t get more complicated, director Christopher Landon, who was brought on to direct the seventh installment after directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett couldn’t return due to conflicts with their next feature, also departed Scream 7 with the declaration that it was a “a dream project that turned into a nightmare.” This appears to be a comment on all the stress that has surrounded the franchise since Barrera was let go.
Related Scream 7 Star Melissa Barrera Shares Response to “Shocking” Firing and Jenna Ortega’s Departure Scream 7 has been plagued with several issues, and former star Melissa Barrera has opened up about her exit from the franchise.
There have been no significant updates on Scream 7 since Landon’s exit other than one of the ideas that Spyglass wants to explore is bringing back Campbell and Patrick Dempsey, who played Detective Kincaid in Scream 3. Whatever happens, Campbell has expressed recently, while open to a return, they would need to pay her in a way that equaled her worth to a franchise she has been a part of since 1996.
Scream VI
can currently be streamed on Paramount+.
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