Melissa Barrera reveals single condition for Scream return after being fired from franchise

Melissa Barrera has firmly shut down any possibility of returning to the Scream franchise under its existing studio leadership, revealing the single scenario that would ever convince her to reprise her role as Sam Carpenter.

Barrera, who led 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI as the daughter of original killer Billy Loomis, was dropped from Scream 7 in November 2023 over social media posts addressing the Israel-Hamas war, in which she expressed solidarity with Palestinian civilians.

Following the studio's decision, Barrera was also dropped by agency WME and endured months of industry blacklisting.

At the time, Spyglass Media Group defended its decision by asserting 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."

Speaking in an interview with Just Watch, Barrera addressed whether she would ever consider stepping back into the slasher universe—and did not mince words regarding the executives who dismissed her.

Barrera was very clear about her feelings on the matter (Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)

“No, not with the company that currently holds the rights,” Barrera stated. “I love the franchise. I had an amazing time making those movies. But a lot of like the, the hate and the difficulty that I’ve faced in the last years is because the leadership of that company made it a point to label me something that I’m not, and they never apologized, even when I was proven right.”

The actress made clear that the bridge with current management is burned beyond repair.

“Even with an apology, I wouldn’t go back to work with them,” she added. “So, not that I’m holding my breath. I don’t think they have that ability. But if the franchise were ever to leave those hands and go into more, into hands that I think honor Wes Craven’s legacy more, I think yeah.”

Barrera has since rebounded with projects including the 2024 horror-thriller Abigail and the Peacock espionage series The Copenhagen Test alongside Simu Liu.

Her public stance coincides with candid admissions from franchise staple Matthew Lillard, who originated the role of killer Stu Macher in the 1996 original. Reflecting on his own choices, Lillard confessed he deeply regrets not speaking up in Barrera’s defense when the firing occurred.

“When that happened to Melissa, the whole world didn’t pipe up,” Lillard admitted. “But she was a year early on what the f---'s going on. But the whole world should have popped up and said, ‘She’s right.’ And they didn’t. And that’s brutal.”

Lillard revealed he felt "ashamed" and "embarrassed" after agreeing to return to the franchise without taking a stand for his former colleague.

“I went back to do Scream, and I got called out. And I’m like, ‘Oh, f---. That’s brutal.’ I feel bad about that. I feel ashamed about that,” Lillard said.

“Because in that moment I was so excited to go back, I didn’t really think about Melissa and that journey. I didn’t say no... I blew that. I’m on the wrong side of history for that. I still like being in the movie [but] it may not have been the best idea.”