There is a new wrinkle to the Scream story. Just a day after Melissa Barrera was let go from the stabby franchise over what were considered controversial social media posts, word arrives that her co-star (and possibly the biggest draw of the movies currently) Jenna Ortega also won't be returning. Her absence, however, is being put down to scheduling reasons.
According to a story in Deadline, it all has to do with how busy Ortega's work calendar has become because of the actors' strike. The report mentions discussions about Ortega having to skip the movie being held even before the strike kicked in.
Not only does she have to finish shooting the last few days on Beetlejuice 2, but she'll be spending a chunk of next year in Ireland filming the second season of Wednesday. Why wouldn't the Scream franchise simply look to make the time-juggling work (or wait for her to be available)? It appears production company Spyglass and studio Paramount are looking to keep the Ghostface train rolling.
The timing remains a little suspicious given the Barrera news, but either way, it means big issues creatively for the films going forward –– it'll likely mean another reboot or potentially a pivot back to the legacy characters (though they are becoming increasingly few between on-screen fatality and off-screen contractual issues).