No Jenna Ortega. Melissa Barrera fired. Now Neve Campbell is back. What's going on with 'Scream 7?'

Melissa Barrera has been vocal on social media about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

In one Instagram story shared in October 2023, Barrera wrote: "I too come from a colonized country. Palestine WILL be free. 'They tried to bury us, they didn't know we were seeds.'"

The Hollywood Reporter said that in another post, Barrera wrote: "Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with no where to go, no electricity no water … People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING."

Variety reported that "Scream" production company Spyglass Media Group had "quietly dropped" Barrera from the next movie as a result of her social media activity.

In a statement, a Spyglass spokesperson told Variety: "Spyglass' stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech."

Amid social media criticism over Barrera's firing, "Scream 7" director Christopher Landon appeared to respond to messages directed at him.

In a post on X in November 2023, he wrote: "This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make."

The post has since been deleted,

Landon, best known for directing "Happy Death Day," is due to take over directing duties from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who directed the previous two "Scream" movies.

Days after Barrera's firing, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety separately reported that Ortega had dropped out of starring in "Scream 7,"

Variety reported Ortega won't take part due to scheduling conflicts with the second season of Netflix's huge hit "Wednesday."

The timing of the news resulted in some social media speculation that Ortega dropped out in solidarity with Barrera.

A representative for Ortega did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

After the news of her firing circulated online, Barrera shared an Instagram story defending her recent social media activity.

"As a latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need," she wrote.

Barrera added: "Every person on this earth- regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status- deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom."

"Silence is not an option for me," Barrera concluded her post.

In November 2023, Variety reported that Spyglass was working on a new direction for "Scream 7" and that producers hoped to bring back Campbell.

The report also claimed that the studio wanted the return of "Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey. Dempsey played Detective Mark Kincaid in "Scream 3."

"Scream 5" implies that Sidney and Mark are in a relationship and have children.

Although Campbell played Sidney in five "Scream" movies, she turned down "Scream 6" over a pay dispute.

In June 2022, she told Variety: "Sadly, I won't be making the next Scream film. As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream."

"I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It's been a very difficult decision to move on," Campbell added.

In March 2024, Campbell posted a photo of the "Scream 7" script on Instagram to announce that she'll be stepping back into Sidney's shoes for the seventh movie.

"It's always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned," she wrote.

"I'm very happy and proud to say I've been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn't be more thrilled!!!"

The star also confirmed that the original movie's writer, Kevin Williamson, will direct the sequel.

Campbell didn't say whether the film will bring back any other "Scream" costars, such as Gale Weathers star Courteney Cox or Dempsey.

Horror fans were excited by the news that Campbell is returning to play Sidney again, but some threatened to boycott "Scream 7" because Spyglass Media fired Barrera.

They argued that while it appears the studio recognized that Campbell deserves a bigger paycheck as the face of the franchise, they believe they were trying to save face over Barrera's firing.

On April 7, Ortega spoke to The Cut ahead of her new movie, "Death of a Unicorn," and addressed why she decided to exit "Scream 7" back in 2023.

The actor confirmed, "It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling," before clarifying that her decision was based on Barerra's firing.

"The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If 'Scream VII' 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," she explained.

A day after Ortega's interview, Landon also discussed his departure from the franchise when speaking to Vanity Fair on April 8.

The director, who was promoting his new horror movie "Drop," told Vanity Fair that he left "Scream 7" because of death threats from fans who saw Landon as responsible for Barrera's firing.

"People were threatening to kill me and my family, to the point where the FBI was getting involved," he recalled."I got messages saying, 'I'm going to find your kids, and I'm going to kill them because you support child murder.'"

Landon added that security teams at some of the studios and the FBI looked into the threats, which he called "highly aggressive and really scary."

"I did not fire her. A lot of people think I had something to do with it, and it was not my doing. I had no control of the situation at all," Landon continued.

In March 2024, Kevin Williamson was announced as the new director of "Scream 7," which started filming in January 2025. The sequel will bring back numerous stars from previous "Scream" films, including Matthew Lillard, David Arquette, and Scott Foley.