Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence revived the Scream franchise with the 2022 installment. Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega led the fifth and sixth films before the former was fired and the latter left the seventh film.
Timeline of Melissa Barrera's Scream tenure
In a feature on Barrera from The Hollywood Reporter, Bettinelli-Olpin spoke about Barrera's firing. He called her “strong” for standing up for her beliefs.
“Melissa is incredibly strong,” Bettinelli-Olpin said. “You see it in her performances. When you’re friends with her, you feel it in just being with her.”
Radio Silence's Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directed Scream in 2022. The film introduced fans to a new cast and also brought back original cast members Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox. A sixth film was made and was a huge box office hit, grossing nearly $170 million at the box office.
In November 2023, Barrera was fired from Scream 7. This was due to her posts on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Jenna Ortega subsequently left the project.
“None of this makes me happy,” Barrera told THR about her Scream 7 firing. “It was just all sad because I really, deeply care about the franchise. It’s just bad that it had to happen like that.”
Radio Silence left Scream 7, and Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) was originally set to helm the seventh film. Now, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have teamed with Barrera again. This time, it was for Abigail, a new horror film for Universal. Bettinelli-Olpin seemed supportive of Barrera.
Now, Neve Campbell has signed on to return to the franchise. Additionally, the franchise's creator, Kevin Williamson, will direct the seventh film. In THR's feature, Barrera declined to speak on Campbell's return to the franchise.
Jenna Ortega's support
Her Scream co-star Jenna Ortega is also supportive of her. “We chatted for a while, and I love her so much. She’s been very supportive of me, and we’re sisters for life.”
In the fifth and sixth Scream films, Barrera and Ortega played Sam and Tara Carpenter. They were positioned as the new faces of the series. Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown also starred as part of the Core Four.
Melissa Barrera and Radio Silence
Melissa Barrera first gained notoriety for her role in a film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights. She led the fifth and sixth Scream films for Radio Silence's Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett.
The duo left Scream 7 to make Abigail for Universal. Abigail is a reimagining of the Universal Classic Monsters film, Dracula's Daughter. It follows a group of kidnappers who watch over a girl named Abigail. She is the daughter of a Russian crime boss and is being held for a $50 million ransom.
However, the kidnappers quickly realize that Abigail is more than what meets the eye. Barrera stars as one of the kidnappers, Joey. Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Alisha Weir, Matthew Goode, and Giancarlo Esposito also star in the film. The Radio Silence duo directed the film based on a script from Stephen Shields and Guy Busick, the latter of whom co-wrote their two Scream films.
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