Firing Melissa Barrera Was Very Costly ‘Scream’ Decision

Gizmodo · Feb 25, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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When Scream 7 hits theaters this weekend, some superfans won’t be there. That’s because before the film went into production, the star of the previous two installments, Melissa Barrera, was fired for comments about the war in Gaza that the film’s production company, Spyglass, deemed anti-Semitic. The move set off a chain reaction that changed the film in what seems like every single way. With Barrera no longer on board, as well as the reportedly unrelated departure of Jenna Ortega, Scream 7 got a new director, Happy Death Day helmer Christopher Landon. But soon after that, Landon left too, and it seemed like the film was doomed. It was time to go back to the beginning. Spyglass brought back franchise co-creator Kevin Williamson to not only direct but also co-write a new script. The fees for the writing, according to a new report from Variety, cost about $500,000. Even bigger than that, though, was getting Neve Campbell back as Sidney Prescott. Campbell was one of the stars of Scream 5 but famously did not return for Scream 6 over contract disputes. Now, though, in a position of power, the trade reports Campbell was paid $7 million to return for Scream 7. Which, considering the total budget is reportedly only about $45 million, is a lot. Also, compare it to co-star Courteney Cox, who was apparently paid $2 million. Certainly, Barrera wasn’t going to make $7 million for the seventh installment, and half a million dollars would not have been needed to rewrite the script if she remained too. But, considering Scream 7 is currently tracking to maybe be the franchise’s biggest opening ever, $7.5 million might be money well spent. io9 reached out to Spyglass regarding the Variety story, but there was no comment. Scream 7 screens for critics on Wednesday evening ahead of public screenings starting Thursday. Are you interested despite everything that happened? Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.