Latest news with #ScreamVII
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jenna Ortega wants to direct the movie she's spent 10 years writing
Jenna Ortega isn't taking her newfound stardom lightly. Like the Dune two, Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, before her, she is avoiding the pitfalls of superhero movies to make things she wants to see. Now a producer on the second season of Wednesday and an executive producer on her new film with The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow, Ortega is already looking for the next step. In a new interview conducted by Weeknd for V Magazine, Ortega plans on putting on the puffy pants, picking up the bullhorn, and yelling that immortal word, 'Action!' on a movie she's spent the last 10 years writing. 'I have a script that I've known that I was going to make for almost 10 years,' says Ortega, who must've been 12 or 13 when she started writing it. 'It's weird because it's something that I thought of when I was younger and when I first started out in this field, and it's only now that I'm actually starting to take the steps to get it made.' Ortega says that while she sees herself acting in the film, she really wants to direct, which is 'the main thing I want to do […] I just feel that's the way my brain wants to work and think, and that's how I even view my acting sometimes.' Over the last few years, Ortega has continuously leveraged her power as an up-and-coming star and name above the title to shape the projects she makes. In 2023, she made headlines over the assertion that she 'just started changing lines' to Wednesday scripts because 'everything that [Wednesday] does, everything that I had to play, did not make sense for her character at all.' She later clarified that 'it's natural to be fearful of signing your life away and wanting some sort of agency or wanting confirmation that your voice would be heard.' Ortega also wisely read the writing on the wall regarding Scream VII and left the production after co-star Melissa Barrera was fired for criticizing the Israeli government. These kinds of experiences prepared Ortega for directing. 'I think I needed a few years of that under my belt to understand the order of doing things. Everything that I've done in my career, I feel like there's a reason why I didn't make this story at an earlier time, but I'm really excited about it.' More from A.V. Club The Studio spotlights problematic casting (and AI) Netflix is chilling with North Of North for another season Marvel doesn't want to share Nicepool plans with Justin Baldoni
See - Sada Elbalad
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Jenna Ortega Reveals Why She Dropped Out of "Scream 7": 'It Was All Kind Of Falling Apart'
Yara Sameh Jenna Ortega has opened up about her exit from "Scream 7" amid the fallout from Melissa Barrera's firing from the franchise. In an interview with The Cut , Ortega, who played Tara Carpenter in 2022's 'Scream' and 2023's 'Scream VI,' said that her exit from the long-running horror franchise was not due to a scheduling conflict as originally reported. She exited the seventh movie in November 2023. She said at the time it was due to her 'shooting schedule.' 'It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,' Ortega added. 'The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If 'Scream VII' wasn't going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn't seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.' The 'Melissa stuff' refers to Ortega's 'Scream' co-star Melissa Barrera, who was fired from 'Scream 7' due to social media posts she put up about Israel and Palestine. News of Ortega's exit followed one day after Barrera's firing, which naturally led to speculation that Ortega was leaving the franchise out of support for Barrera. Ortega's interview with The Cut now confirms that to be the case. Barrera was fired from 'Scream 7' due to her social media posts supporting Palestine and criticizing Israel for 'genocide and ethnic cleansing.' Franchise producer Spyglass Media Group said in a statement to Variety at the time: '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.' After Barrera's firing, 'Scream 7' director Christopher Landon posted and deleted a statement on X that read: 'Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.' About a month later, Landon exited the film and wrote on social media: 'It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it's time to move on.' 'Scream' moved on with Kevin Williamson, the franchise's original screenwriter, stepping in to direct the seventh installment, which will feature the return of franchise icon Neve Campbell. Ortega moved on with both the second season of her Netflix smash hit 'Wednesday' and the box office success of last year's 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.' 'I've happened to join a lot of franchises, which is so great to be a part of legacy,' Ortega told The Cut. 'But for me, I'm really trying to prioritize new directors and original stories. I know on the outside, maybe people are looking at my choices like, 'Man, what the hell is this girl doing?' I never thought I would do a movie [like A24's 'Death of Unicorn']. But an original script is exciting. If I can help get it made, I love to do that.' read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Videos & Features Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO) News Israeli PM Diagnosed with Stage 3 Prostate Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple
Khaleej Times
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Jenna Ortega speaks up about 'Scream 7' exit rumours
Actress Jenna Ortega shared that her exit from the Scream franchise was not due to a scheduling conflict as originally reported. Ortega, who played Tara Carpenter in 2022's Scream and 2023's Scream VI, exited the seventh movie in November 2023. She said at the time it was due to her "shooting schedule", reported Variety. "It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling," Ortega revealed. "The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If Scream VII wasn't going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn't seem like the right move for me in my career at the time." The "Melissa stuff" refers to Ortega's Scream co-star Melissa Barrera, who was sacked from Scream 7 after making social media statements against Israel and Palestine. The news of Ortega's departure came one day after Barrera's termination, prompting conjecture that Ortega was leaving the club to support Barrera. Franchise producer Spyglass Media Group said in a statement, "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." After Barrera's firing, Scream 7 director Christopher Landon posted and deleted a statement on X that read, "Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make." About a month later, Landon exited the film and wrote on social media: "It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it's time to move on." Scream moved on with Kevin Williamson, the franchise's original screenwriter, stepping in to direct the seventh installment, which will feature the return of franchise icon Neve Campbell.
Los Angeles Times
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Jenna Ortega says she left ‘Scream VII' because the production was ‘falling apart'
Jenna Ortega has finally spoken up about her departure from 'Scream VII.' In a recent interview with The Cut, the 'Death of a Unicorn' star admitted that her decision to leave the slasher franchise 'had nothing to do with pay or scheduling. The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart.' In November 2023, Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the films, fired Melissa Barrera after the actor made a series of social media posts surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. Barrera was accused of anti-Semitism, a claim she refuted in an April 2024 interview with The Times. 'It wasn't easy to be labeled as something so horrible when I knew that wasn't the case,' the Mexican-born actress said at the time. 'I did have opportunities taken away from me. But I always trusted God, trusted that everything was going to work out for me.' A day after Barrera was fired, Ortega announced that she was also leaving the production. At the time, Deadline reported that Ortega's departure was because of a scheduling conflict with shooting the second season of the Netflix hit show 'Wednesday.' A month after both leading stars left the franchise, director Christopher Landon, who was initially slated to direct 'Scream VII,' announced his resignation from the project. 'I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,' Landon said in a post on X. 'This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it's time to move on.' 'If 'Scream VII' wasn't going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn't seem like the right move for me in my career at the time,' Ortega told The Cut. The 'Scream' series dates back to the 1996 original, directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. In March 2024, the screenwriter declared in an Instagram post that he will be taking over as director of 'Scream VII' and will be bringing back the original 'Scream' actress Neve Campbell to play Sidney Prescott. 'It's been nearly 30 years since my very first script, Scream, was directed by the legendary Wes Craven,' Williamson wrote in an Instagram post. 'I never would have predicted what it would become. Or that I would be directing the seventh installment of the franchise. I am overcome with gratitude and excitement, and I can't wait to take this journey with Neve and the entire Scream family as we bring back Sidney Prescott in the next chapter of the Scream franchise.' Times feature writer Mark Olsen, Fast Break reporter Summer Lin and former De Los staff writer Alejandra Molina contributed to this report.
USA Today
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jenna Ortega reveals real reason she left 'Scream 7': 'It was all kind of falling apart'
Jenna Ortega reveals real reason she left 'Scream 7': 'It was all kind of falling apart' Show Caption Hide Caption Jenna Ortega jokes she has to 'suffer through' hosting 'SNL' Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera chat with USA TODAY's Brian Truitt about "Scream VI," which takes place this time in New York City. Entertain This!, USA TODAY Jenna Ortega has finally revealed why she's ghosting the "Scream" franchise. The "Wednesday" star, 22, spoke with The Cut in an interview published Monday about why she isn't returning for the upcoming "Scream 7" after starring in the horror franchise's most recent two entries. Some previous reports indicated Ortega exited the sequel due to scheduling conflicts with "Wednesday." But in the interview, the actress clarified this was not the case. "It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling," the actress told The Cut. "The Melissa (Barrera) stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If 'Scream VII' wasn't going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn't seem like the right move for me in my career at the time." Ortega's co-star Melissa Barrera was fired from "Scream 7" due to her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war. Prior to Barrera's firing, Christopher Landon was tapped to replace Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who directed both of Ortega's "Scream" movies, as director. Ortega and Barrera played sisters Tara and Sam Carpenter, respectively, beginning in the 2022 reboot "Scream," which established them as the franchise's new main characters. They both returned in 2023 for the sequel "Scream VI," which became the series' highest-grossing entry at the domestic box office. In between the two films, Ortega achieved a new level of fame thanks to the release of "Wednesday." Scream 7': Matthew Lillard's shock return, Mark Consuelos, and everything else we know Barrera was initially expected to once again lead "Scream 7" before being fired in November 2023 due to social media posts supportive of Palestine that production company Spyglass Media Group alleged constituted "hate speech." In response, Barrera said at the time, "I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people." Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2024, Barrera said that she and Ortega "chatted for a while" about the situation. "I love her so much," she told the outlet. "She's been very supportive of me, and we're sisters for life." Neve Campbell is returning for 'Scream 7' after pay dispute, Melissa Barrera firing Some of Barrera's other "Scream" co-stars are returning for "Scream 7," though: Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding are coming back to play twins Mindy and Chad. Chad, Mindy, Tara and Sam were described as the "core four" in "Scream VI," which implied these four characters would all continue to star in future installments. Instead, "Scream 7" is now set to focus on the series' original star Neve Campbell, returning as Sidney Prescott after exiting "Scream VI" due to a salary dispute. Several actors whose characters died in past "Scream" films, including Scott Foley and Matthew Lillard, are also returning by means that are not yet clear. "Scream 7," set for release in 2026, also got a new director in the wake of Barrera's firing. Kevin Williamson is now helming the sequel after Landon stepped away from the gig, which he described as a "dream job that turned into a nightmare."
