Confirming the move, Spyglass Media Group cites its 'zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form' for its decision to drop the actress from the upcoming sequel.
- Nov 21, 2023
AceShowbiz - Melissa Barrera's support for the victims of the Israel-Hamas war has cost her a job. The actress has been cut from "Scream 7", also mentioned as "Scream VII" on media, following her social media posts on the conflict.
Confirming the decision, Spyglass Media Group, the company behind the "Scream" franchise, issued a statement on Tuesday, November 21, "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."
"Scream VII" director Christopher Landon has also spoken up on the move, claiming that he had no power to make the decision. "This is my statement: Everything sucks," he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make," he added in the same tweet, which has since removed from his account.
Before Spyglass' statement, Variety reported that the company quietly removed Barrera from the cast of the next installment of the slasher film series due to a series of posts in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. In one of her Stories posted last month, she wrote, "Western media only shows the other side. Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself." Publicly declaring her stance, she added, "I too come from a colonized country. Palestine WILL be free."
"Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp," she penned in another Story. "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."
Barrera has not spoken up on her firing. The 33-year-old joined the franchise in the fifth installment, 2022's "Scream", starring as Sam Carpenter, the sister of Jenna Ortega's Tara Carpenter. She reprised her role in "Scream VI" and was expected to return for another sequel after surviving in the latest film.
