Jamie Kennedy, the star who played Randy Meeks in theScreamfranchise, says thatMelissa Barrera, the actor who played Sam Carpenter in 2022’sScreamandScream VI, should never have been fired during pre-production ofScream 7. Barrera was removed from her lead role in the film after she made social media posts denouncing Israel’s actions in the Gaza war, and the studio backing the project decided to part ways with her.
Kennedy appeared on Fox News Digital to talk about cancel culture: “I think the whole idea, the term ‘cancel’…Think how insane that term is. Like, ‘Hey, you know what? We don’t like what you said. Canceled.’ Like, you talk about inclusive. That’s like the most uninclusive thing of all time.” It was there that he addressed the issue with Barrera’' removal from the upcominghorrorsequelScream 7:
“She should have never been fired. She has her beliefs, OK? She’s allowed to have her beliefs. Other people on set have other beliefs. This is, you know, it’s the most difficult subject — one of the most difficult subjects to discuss right now in modern times. And she’s brave enough to put her beliefs out there. If you don’t like them, call her up. Talk to her.
“I had never seen that in terms of like a star so hot, so on her rise – just everything ripped away for a tweet. A tweet! It was ridiculous, and it’s just gonna fuel more people going, ‘Why did you do that?'”
10 All-Time Best Cameos in the Scream Movies
The spectacular meta-universe that is the Scream franchise is famous for its cameos. These are the all-time best.
Scream 7is set to be released in February 2026. The film isdirected by Kevin Williamson, who’s working with a script written by Guy Busick. It starsScreamalumni Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Roger Jackson, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, David Arquette, Scott Foley and Matthew Lillard. Newcomers include Isabel May, Joel McHale, Anna Camp, Ethan Embry, Mckenna Grace and Asa Germann, among others.
Could a Divided Reaction to Barrera’s Firing Put the ‘Scream’ Franchise in Peril?
There’s a possibility that Barrera’s removal from the nextScreaminstallment will have a negative effect on the movie. And if you think the discourse has run out of steam, just go on X and see the replies to all the posts regardingScream 7. There’s a very clear division between those who have decided to forget the discussion, and thosewho still believe Barrera deserved betterand express it. Those in favor of her often call people out to boycott the movie.
The question lies in the numbers. Just like there’s a huge chunk of fans who have decided theScreamfranchise is not for them any more due to Barrera’s firing, there were many who reacted similarly when the new revival ofScreamfocused on new characters. Those were the ones who got seriously angry when Sidney was nowhere to be seen inScream VI. Did this affect the box office projections? Not at all. Everyone still went to see the movie, and the 2023 sequel made nearly $169 million, becoming the third highest-grossing movie in the franchise.
In less than a year, we’ll see the return of Ghostface in a newly reformed franchise that changed some of its leads, and brought back some of its dead characters. It’s a risky move, of course, but it’s promising that producers have decided to involve those who turned a slasher movie idea into a franchise with a legacy as strong asScream’s.
Source:Fox News Digital
