By The saga surrounding the making of the next “Scream” film just keeps on taking new twists and turns in real-time it seems.
In the wake of the reported exits of both Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega from the film over the past day, Variety is now reporting that the whole project is set to undergo a ‘creative reset’.
James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, the writers of the previous two installments which starred the actresses as sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter, will now work on a fresh draft to present to filmmakers. Though some set pieces may be preserved, the project is now seeking new protagonists.
Original “Scream” leading lady Neve Campbell opted not to return for this year’s “Scream VI” over a salary dispute, but the trade says producers are reportedly keen to see her reclaim her character of Sydney Prescott.
They make it clear, however, that no actors have been in active negotiations for the film thus far. Both Ortega and Barrera’s contractual agreements to the franchise reportedly ended with the sixth film earlier this year.
The news caps a very busy past 36 hours for the movie which began with Barrera being fired by Spyglass over social media messages commenting on the Israel-Hamas war. Backlash to that firing has been intense, and in just the past hour or so Barrera issued an official statement on Instagram.
Then earlier today came the news that Ortega wouldn’t be returning due to a scheduling conflict with production of the second season of “Wednesday,” and this issue had been known for months.
In fact, the new report indicates plans for the new film were already being retooled prior to the events of this week. With the project now essentially starting over from scratch, the film will have to be made fairly soon if Spyglass to keep its 2025 theatrical release plans.
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