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Melissa Barrera (pictured above in Scream VI) was unceremoniously fired from the Scream franchise by Spyglass after she stood up for Palestinian civilians in the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict. And I’m still upset about it.
The path that began in Scream (2022) with Barrera’s character Sam Carpenter was an exciting one. The reveal that she was the daughter of the first film’s killer, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), was huge. Then came Scream VI, and we were left with a cliffhanger that had us wondering if she would follow in the footsteps of her psycho daddy. From hero to villain…how fun would that have been?
Alas, Spyglass took issue with Barrera’s social media comments, and they fired her. I’m not here to relitigate the whole thing, but, for the record, I thought it was bullshit for the studio to do that.
You’d think that would be the end of Scream for the actor. However, Barerra recently spoke to JustWatch and revealed she’d return on one condition. And it’s, quite understandably, a big one.
Said Barrera in response to whether or not she’d come back, “Not with the company that currently holds the rights. I love the franchise. I had an amazing time making those movies. But a lot of the hate and the difficulty that I’ve faced in the last years is because the leadership of that company made it a point to label me something that I’m not, and they never apologized, even when I was proven right.”
Continued Barerra, “Even with an apology, I wouldn’t go back to work with them. So, not that I’m holding my breath. I don’t think they have that ability. But if the franchise were ever to leave those hands and go into hands that I think honor Wes Craven’s legacy more, I think yeah.”
Personally, I’d love to see Barerra return as Sam and finish what Scream 5 and 6 started.
She deserves that much at the very least.
And so do the fans. That was obvious from the massive outcry against Spyglass for their decision to fire Barerra. Not to mention the “Free Palestine” protests that surrounded screenings of Scream 7, including at the Paramount Studios lot when the film premiered.
As you all know, franchise star Neve Campbell was brought back to take over the lead in Scream 7, reprising her role as Sidney Prescott. You can read our review here.
I thought it sucked, for what it’s worth.
Despite the outpouring of support for Barrera and efforts to boycott the film, Scream 7 made a killing at the box office. As a result, another sequel is already in the works. So, I doubt the Scream franchise will leave Spyglass any time soon.
For now, we’ll wonder what could’ve been if Barrera had gotten to finish what she started. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll find out one day.
What do you think? Should Barerra ever come back to the franchise, or leave it for dead for good? Let us know in the comments below.
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