Jenna Ortega Reveals the True Reason She Left Scream Franchise: ‘Nothing to Do with Pay or Scheduling’

“It was all kind of falling apart,” says the actress of ‘Scream 7,’ which will be in theaters February 2026

Jenna Ortega is getting candid about the real reason she departed the Scream franchise after leading two of its sequels.

Multiple outlets reported in November 2023 that Ortega would not return for the seventh Scream movie, with some citing scheduling issues as the reason. Those reports came one day after news broke that costar Melissa Barrera, Ortega’s onscreen sister, was fired from the project.

Prior to Ortega’s departure, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who were behind the rebooted Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023), weren’t announced as returning for Scream 7, with Drop director Christopher Landon set to direct. However, Landon exited the project in December 2023, calling it a “dream job that turned into a nightmare.”

In an interview with The Cut, Ortega, 22, shed light on her choice to leave the beloved horror franchise.

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” the Death of a Unicorn star clarified. “It was all kind of falling apart. If Scream 7 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.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Ortega, who starred in 2024’s long-awaited sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, said she wants to take on more original work rather than big franchises.

“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 with unicorns. But an original script is exciting. If I can help get it made, I love to do that.”

Scream 7 is set to hit theaters in February 2026. Kevin Williamson, the writer who created the franchise with the 1996 original, is directing the sequel.

Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, the other half of the reboots’ Core Four along with Ortega and Barrera, will reprise their roles. Longtime star Neve Campbell is also returning after sitting out the sixth film due to a contract dispute. Courteney Cox will also be back, and legacy cast members whose characters have died in past films will return, including David Arquette, Scott Foley and Matthew Lillard.

New cast members include: Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, Michelle Randolph, Anna Camp, Jimmy Tatro and Joel McHale.

In March 2024, Barrera, 34, told The Hollywood Reporter that Ortega reached out to show support after she was fired for social media posts she made. “We chatted for a while, and I love her so much,” Barrera said at the time. “She’s been very supportive of me, and we’re sisters for life.”

Barrera, in November 2024, told The Independent that her firing led to “the darkest and hardest year of my life, and I had to reevaluate everything.”