While Jenna Ortega starred in Scream (2022) and Scream 6 as Tara Carpenter, the popular Scream Queen won’t be back in Scream 7. When Ortega joined the Scream franchise for the 2022 reboot movie, she was still making a name for herself in Hollywood while finding a niche in horror. That year alone, Ortega’s horror movies included Scream (2022), X, Studio 666, and American Carnage. Her star power soon skyrocketed after landing the тιтular role in Netflix’s 2022 Addams Family series Wednesday, which Ortega followed with hit parts in 2023’s Scream 6 and Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

Ortega quickly established a legacy in Scream by surviving Scream 5’s opening “kill” scene – a franchise staple. The actress starred as Tara Carpenter, the younger sister of Melissa Barrera’s Sam Carpenter, the secret daughter of original Ghostface killer Billy Loomis. In Scream 6, the sisters moved to New York City as Tara attended college with fellow Woodsboro mᴀssacre survivors Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, living through yet another Ghostface attack by previous killer Richie Kirsch’s family. It was initially expected that the Carpenters would lead Scream 7, until reports in November 2023 revealed Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega wouldn’t be returning.

Jenna Ortega Is Reportedly Not Returning To Scream 7 Due To Scheduling Conflicts With Wednesday

Ortega’s Exit Was Confirmed In November 2023

The day after it was reported in November 2023 that Melissa Barrera had been fired from Scream 7 following social media posts about Palestine and Israel, ᴅᴇᴀᴅline reported that Jenna Ortega would also be absent from the next franchise installment. According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Jenna Ortega wouldn’t be returning for Scream 7 due to scheduling conflicts with Wednesday season 2. The outlet elaborated that, at the time, Scream 7 still didn’t have a script ready, while Ortega was preparing to start shooting for Wednesday season 2 in spring 2024.

Additionally, ᴅᴇᴀᴅline reported that the discussions about Jenna Ortega leaving Scream 7 began before the actors strike, which lasted from July to November 2023. Therefore, while the news was announced in quick succession after Barrera’s firing, the reports suggest that Ortega’s departure wasn’t directly in response to her costar’s exit, despite speculation around the timing.

Ultimately, Wednesday season 2 filmed between April and December 2024 in Ireland. Meanwhile, Scream 7’s filming kicked off on January 7, 2025, leaving just a short gap between the two production timelines. It doesn’t seem very feasible that Ortega would be able to jump between the two franchises so quickly. Plus, Scream 7 had already pivoted to a bigger focus on Sidney Prescott rather than the Carpenter sisters, so it’s unlikely that Ortega would have had a significant role anyway, even if she could have made the filming schedules work.

Scream 7’s Returning Core Four Characters Mean The Sequel Will Still Have To Reference Tara Carpenter

Chad & Mindy’s Return Means The Sequel Can’t Ignore Tara & Sam

Given two members of Scream 6’s “Core Four” would already be missing from the sequel, it was expected that Chad and Mindy’s actors Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown would also be absent. However, the latter two’s Scream 7 cast returns were later confirmed in December 2024 and January 2025, respectively. This means there should be representation from each era of Scream so far (especially if Hayden Panettiere returns as Kirby Reed) in Scream 7, but also makes it more difficult to ignore the elephant in the room.

With half of the Core Four returning in Scream 7, it would be strange to ignore the fates of Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera’s characters. For one, Chad and Tara began a romance that was still intact by Scream 6’s ending, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to return without referencing what became of their relationship. Additionally, it’ll be the first Ghostface mᴀssacre without the Carpenter sisters since the Woodsboro killing spree in 2011, so Scream 7 will still need to mention the safety and whereabouts of Tara and Sam – just like Gale did with Sidney in Scream 6.

Will Jenna Ortega’s Absence Hurt Scream 7?

Scream’s Mᴀssive Following Predates Ortega’s Introduction, But It Doesn’t Help With The New Generation

Though Scream had already been one of the most popular horror movie franchises for over two decades before Jenna Ortega joined it, there’s no denying that her breakout role in Wednesday helped increase the appeal of Scream 6. Ortega became a major box office draw for big horror sequels like Scream 6 and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and while both franchises had been mᴀssively successful in their own rights after their respective 1996 and 1988 debuts, they were also trying to appeal to an entirely new generation.

Ortega is still among the most bankable actors of her generation in Hollywood, so her presence played a substantial role in drawing in younger audiences for those two movies. However, now that Scream 7 has Sidney as the lead again, it remains to be seen whether the 2025 movie intends to primarily target fans of the original trilogy or appeal to fans of the original films and reboot movies equally. If the former is the case, then Ortega’s absence may not be as detrimental as it would be for the latter.

Still, Scream (2022) had a strong box office showing and critical response when appealing to the newer generation and original fans, and it premiered 10 months before Ortega’s star power took off in November 2022. While Ortega returning for Scream 7 would have helped boost the sequel’s popularity and appeal, it certainly wouldn’t be fair to imply that it kills the sequel. With other confirmed returning characters from Scream, Scream 3, and Scream 6, it seems Scream 7 is working to cover all its bases for the target audience.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline