The 'Scream' calamity: how a beloved film series collapsed

One of the most beloved horror film franchises is bleeding out.

Thanks to a 2022 revival, the "Scream" series has been on an upswing. But that quickly changed after its main star was fired due to social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war, and the franchise's other lead quit. The catastrophic series of events could doom the series, which is ill-suited to losing its main characters.

Don't you know the rules?

The "Scream" franchise began in 1996 with the original slasher classic, in which the Ghostface killer targets a group of teens. But unlike "Friday the 13th" or "A Nightmare on Elm Street," the antagonists were not supernatural, and they definitively died at the end. By necessity, then, each subsequent sequel introduced entirely new villains who were simply using the same Ghostface mask.

This made "Scream" unique in that it was not centered on a single antagonist like Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger. Instead, the draw was the protagonists. Most slashers cycled through new groups of teens in each installment, but every "Scream" movie from 1996's "Scream" to 2011's "Scream 4" starred Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette. Fans tuned back in because they loved the so-called "big three" and wanted to see their story continue.

After a decade-long absence, the film series returned with a 2022 relaunch, which mixed returning stars with younger actors to bring in new fans. Though Campbell, Cox and Arquette returned, the main focus was a new plot involving a young woman, Samantha Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), and her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega). It was a rousing success, and a sequel was quickly confirmed.

But the problems began when it was announced that Campbell would not return as Sidney Prescott due to a salary dispute. Making things more complicated, the 2022 film had killed off Arquette's character, meaning two of the original three stars would be absent for the first time. Was "Scream VI" doomed without them?

Far from it. Producers got extraordinarily lucky when Ortega amassed a large fan base between the releases of "Scream" and "Scream VI" thanks to her hit Netflix show "Wednesday," giving "Scream VI" a jolt of fresh star power. In Campbell's absence, the sequel fleshed out its new heroes further, establishing its "core four" — Barrera, Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding — as the series' future. "I'm now as invested in the core four as the original trio," critic Matt Neglia said. He wasn't alone, and while fans were unhappy with the circumstances behind Campbell's exit, the general consensus was that Sidney's absence was acceptable because her story felt complete.

Ultimately "Scream VI" became the franchise's highest-grossing film ever at the domestic box office. A seventh installment was soon confirmed, though there were early signs of trouble when it was revealed the directors of the last two entries would not return. Wes Craven directed every "Scream" movie prior to his death, so the franchise previously benefited from a consistent hand. Would "Scream 7" suffer without that?

No more core four

But then came a bombshell: Barrera was fired from "Scream 7" due to posts about the Israel-Hamas war that Spyglass Media Group deemed offensive. The production company said it has "zero tolerance" for "false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion" and other "hate speech." Barrera, who has been critical of Israel on Instagram, said she condemns both antisemitism and Islamophobia.

The next day, reports revealed Ortega will also not return, though her exit was said to be due to scheduling issues. The Hollywood Reporter, nonetheless, suggested this wasn't the whole story, as Ortega reportedly asked for more money and expected the studio to balk. "Scream VI" succeeding without Campbell seemingly led Spyglass head Gary Barber to conclude stars aren't "essential" to "Scream," the Reporter wrote. "He didn't need Neve, he doesn’t need Jenna," one insider told the outlet.

But this ignores the possibility that "Scream VI" only worked without Campbell because of Ortega and Barrera, and it was successful not because audiences don't care about the series' stars, but because they do care about the new ones. According to Variety, plans for "Scream 7" are now being retooled, and producers hope to bring Campbell back. But it remains to be seen whether she'll say yes, especially after alleging her low salary offer for "Scream VI" was driven by sexism.

Either way, the next film will likely be forced to prematurely pull the plug on the Carpenter sister story that hooked fans, particularly new Gen Z fans who love Ortega on "Wednesday." Doing so could be catastrophic given "Scream" always shined because of the strength of its lovable heroes and consistent continuity. If Spyglass forgets that, don't be surprised if, when "Scream 7" debuts, moviegoers don't pick up the phone.