Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega were all smiles as they reunited with their Scream costars after exiting the seventh installment of the film franchise.
“Yeah,” Barrera, 33, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, January 14, alongside a heart eye emoji with a picture from the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s 17th annual Evening Before gala.
In the snap, Barrera and Ortega, 21, were surrounded by their costars including Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liana Liberato, Tony Revolori, Skeet Ulrich and Jack Quaid.
“Sweet reunion!!” Ulrich, 53, commented, with Quaid, 31, writing, “HELL yeah.” Gooding, 27, added, “I just love ya.”
The post comes two months after the franchise lost Ortega due to scheduling conflicts with Netflix’s Wednesday and Barrera was reportedly fired over social media posts relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A spokesperson for the production company behind the more recent Scream films, Spyglass Media Group, later clarified the reason for her departure, writing in a November 2023 statement, “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.”
The next month, director Christopher Landon announced his departure.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” Landon, 48, shared via X (formerly Twitter) in December 2023. “This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone.”
He continued, “But it’s time to move on. I have nothing more to add to the conversation other than I hope Wes [Craven’s] legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world. What he and Kevin [Williamson] created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow.”
Despite leaving the franchise in June 2022 over a salary dispute, Neve Campbell recently revealed that she’s not ruling out a return. Campbell, 50, told Variety on Saturday, January 13, that she would be open to coming back “under the right circumstances.”
Campbell shared that she hoped the franchise would continue, saying, “I honestly don’t have no idea what their plans are. I know a lot has gone on around it and I’m sure they’re spinning a little bit at the moment.”
She continued, “These movies mean a lot to us and they mean a lot to the fans. I go to these conventions sometimes and I meet the fans and they’re frantic about these films. They love them. These films mean a lot to them and these characters mean a lot to them. So even for their sake, I would love to see it continue.”
