Jenna Ortega Drops Out of Starring in Next “Scream” Movie: Reports

Jenna Ortega's reported departure from 'Scream VII' comes one day after news broke that her costar Melissa Barrera was fired from the project

The Scream franchise is losing another lead actor.

On Wednesday, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter reported that Jenna Ortega, who has starred in the last two Scream films as Tara Carpenter, is no longer expected to reprise her role for Scream VII.

The news comes one day after news broke that her costar (and onscreen sister) Melissa Barrera was removed from the film's cast due to her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war, according to reports from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

Deadline reported that 21-year-old Ortega's departure from the film is not related to 33-year-old Barrera's firing, nor online rumors swirling that Ortega asked to be let go from a contract related to her Scream role. The outlet reported that Ortega will not star in the next Scream, which it says does not yet have a finalized script, due to her busy filming schedule on the second season of Netflix's Wednesday and wrapping on filming for Beetlejuice 2,

Representatives for Ortega and Spyglass did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Related: 'Scream 7' in the Works with New Director After Box Office Success of Sequel

In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday, Spyglass, the studio behind Scream VII, said their stance on Barrera's firing 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 statement read.

Reps for Barrera did not respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment Tuesday.

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In one written message from her Instagram Story quoted in the reports of her firing and circulating on social media, Barrera allegedly wrote, “I have been actively looking for videos and information about the Palestinian side for the last 2 weeks or so, following accounts etc. Why? Because Western media only shows the other side. Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.”

Barrera and Ortega's characters Samantha and Tara were previously positioned as the franchise's new leads. Series star Neve Campbell did not participate in this year's Scream VI due to a contract dispute.

Related: Neve Campbell Shares Her Thoughts on Scream VI After Turning Down Role: 'I Don't Wish These Movies Ill Will'

Scream VI, released in March, scored the franchise's biggest opening weekend at the box office. The movie was also the series' first entry to cross the $100 million mark domestically since 1997's Scream 2.

Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon is expected to take over Scream VII directing duties from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who codirected both Scream (2022) and Scream VI.

Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who go by the name Radio Silence as a directing and producing team, are expected to remain with the franchise as producers moving forward.

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