As the sequel’s development continues to remain in turmoil, Hayden Panettiere has a candid response to Melissa Barrera’s Scream 7 firing. Panettiere recently returned to the slasher franchise for the first time in 12 years with its sixth installment, starring alongside Barrera as Kirby Reed, who survived her ordeal in the fourth movie and became an FBI agent. Barrera was expected to return for Scream 7 before being fired by Spyglass due to social media posts supporting Palestine in regard to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, with producers considering her comments antisemitic.
Nearly three months after she was dismissed from the movie, Panettiere spoke with The Messenger about Barrera’s Scream 7 firing. The franchise veteran was very candid in her thoughts on the situation, slamming the producers’ decision as “very unfair and upsetting” and recalling having reached out to check in on Barrera afterward, though is “not worried” about her career’s future. See what Panettiere said below:
After she [spoke out], then a whole bunch of other actors and people in the industry started to do the same thing, right? It was almost like she just did it earlier than everyone else. You know, a lot of people hadn’t really asked her how she felt. Melissa is such a bada– as a human being and as an actress…She was hurt by it, but I think she took it in stride and was very, very gracious about it.
Barrera Is The Only Way To Save Scream 7
While Barrera was the first, she hasn’t been the only notable change to Scream 7‘s creative team in recent months. Shortly after her firing, it was revealed that fellow new lead Jenna Ortega would not be reprising her role as Barrera’s sister Tara. Initially reported to stem from a scheduling conflict with Wednesday season 2, it was later indicated that it was due to a pay dispute between her and the studio, echoing that of Neve Campbell’s infamous departure from the franchise ahead of Scream 6.
Within a month of losing both of its stars, resulting in co-writers Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt having to start from scratch, director Christopher Landon announced he too would be exiting Scream 7. Though he didn’t outright blame anyone for his exit, the Happy Death Day and Freaky filmmaker candidly explained that it was his decision as “it was a dream job that turned into a nightmare” and that his “heart did break for everyone involved.” While there have been no concrete updates on the project’s status, there is one way to save it should it move forward, which would be to bring back Barrera.
As it currently stands, Sam and Tara’s stories did close out somewhat nicely after the most recent installment, leaving the door open to focus on new characters. However, given Busick and Vanderbilt clearly had a plan for the two heading into Scream 7, and many fans of the franchise and stars have toyed with the idea of boycotting the sequel in support of them, the best path for getting audience investment back in the next installment would be to make amends with Barrera and Ortega.
