Jenna Ortega Reveals Shocking Reason She Quit Scream 7

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Summary

  • Jenna Ortega left Scream 7 due to co-star & director departures, not pay or scheduling.
  • Ortega chose not to return as she wanted to work with the original Scream team.
  • Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox will reprise their roles in Scream 7, set to release in 2026.

Jenna Ortega has ascended as one of Hollywood’s rapidly rising stars, gaining fame for her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series “Wednesday.” Despite this success, she has chosen to step away from another notable franchise, “Scream,” and at age 22, she explains why she won’t reprise her role in the 2026 movie “Scream 7,” having starred in the previous two films.

After her achievement of portraying the gloomy and goth-styled teenager in the series Wednesday, Ortega found her career soaring, and she announced in 2023 that she would be a producer for Season 2 of the show, expressing her desire to have greater control over the projects she’s part of. Later, Ortega acted as Phoebe, the love interest of Judah Lewis’s character, in Netflix’s 2020 horror film The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and has since starred and served as an executive producer on A24’s comedy-horror film Death of a Unicorn. Ortega kicked off her career in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle, moved on to series like Jane the Virgin and Penn Badgley’s You, and with no signs of slowing down, it seems the world offers endless opportunities for this Californian native.

Jenna Ortega Explains Real Reason Why She Left Scream 7 Behind

In an interview with The Cut, Jennifer Ortega clarified that the speculations about her departure from Scream 7 are unfounded as they were not related to salary or scheduling issues. Instead, she pointed out that the departure of her co-star Melissa Barrera and directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin left her feeling like the Scream series was disintegrating due to all the changes. In other words, as Barrera’s situation unfolded, and with the directors stepping down, it seemed to Ortega that the Scream franchise was collapsing.

If the team directing Scream 7 wasn’t the one I cherish or the cast I admire, then making the film didn’t feel aligned with where I wanted to go professionally at that moment.

2024 found me, Melissa Barrera, let go from a beloved franchise after expressing my views on a certain matter concerning Israel. In an exclusive chat with The Hollywood Reporter, I shared my struggles during this turbulent phase of my career, particularly amidst whispers that my agency had dropped me. “It was indeed tough,” I confessed, “but I consider myself incredibly blessed.”

Surrounded by a wonderful team and especially my publicists, I felt nothing but their unwavering support. They were the ones who carried me through the storm. Amidst all the turmoil, I took solace in knowing that I had the backing of good friends like Ortega, who stood by me during this challenging time. She proved to be a true friend indeed.

In the upcoming seventh movie of the “Scream” series, several stars from the recent installments will not be reappearing. However, some original cast members such as Neve Campbell (as Sidney Prescott), Courteney Cox (as Gale Weathers), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks-Martin), and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks-Martin) will be back in their respective roles. Additionally, new cast members for “Scream 7” include Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, and Anna Camp.

Scream 7 is all set to release in theaters on February 27, 2026.

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2025-04-08 12:44