The Scream franchise, which has embedded itself in the hearts of fans worldwide, has permanently transformed the horror genre. Since its 1996 release, it has been hailed as a rebirth of the slasher subgenre, fusing self-aware satire with horror.

Wes Craven’s first installment, which was brilliantly directed, introduced us to a cast of characters that included Drew Barrymore, Courteney Cox, and Neve Campbell.

Reports have been going around lately claiming that Jenna Ortega, who played a big part in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett’s Scream VI’s success, will not be returning to her role in Scream VII.

The franchise seems to be used to having actors come and go. Before Ortega, another important actor dropped the chance to make an appearance in the franchise.

Kristen Stewart turned down the opportunity to join the cast of Scream 4 out of concern that it would diminish the iconic influence of Barrymore in the series.

 
Kristen Stewart in a still from the Twilight Saga
 

Kristen Stewart Spoke About Her Decision To Pass on a Role in Scream 4

It turns out that had Kristen Stewart been cast in Scream 4, we might have seen her hanging out with celebrities like David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, and Hayden Panettiere. According to her interview with Slant, she was asked by the producers to make a cameo in the $97.2 million movie. She added that the makers had

“Created a whole sequence where a lot of people got killed to emulate the Drew [Barrymore] thing. But it was just going to be one person.”

Playing Casey Becker in the first film, Barrymore’s iconic impact on the franchise was so great that Stewart ultimately turned down the opportunity because she did not think she could “touch” its greatness.

“I was like, ‘I can’t do a Drew. I can’t touch that.’ Do you know what I mean?”

Rejecting that role, however, did not mean that everyone’s hopes of seeing the former Twilight star return to the film franchise were dashed.

The actress was questioned about whether she would be open to appearing in Scream 6 or possibly a further potential sequel. Stewart acknowledged this while applauding Neve Campbell and the first film.

“Maybe. I would read the script. It’s so gnarly. I love the movie because it loves movies. The coolest part of Scream is what it says about film. It’s so self-aware. It folds in on itself like six times. I love how much [Wes Craven] loves movies and how embedded that is. It’s a total film nerd type of movie. It’s not just a slasher flick. It’s a beautiful movie. It’s so hard to watch.”

In 1996, Barrymore, now 48, launched the Scream franchise with her iconic opening scene as doomed high school student Casey Becker. Since then, there have been six films in the series.

Reasons for Jenna Ortega’s Scream Franchise Exit

Jenna Ortega plays Tara Carpenter in Scream 6
It is currently common knowledge that one of the lead actors in the Scream series is departing. It is not expected that Jenna Ortega, who portrayed Tara Carpenter in the first two Scream films, will make a comeback for Scream VII, as reported by Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year.

The news came a day after Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reported that Melissa Barrera, her co-star and on-screen sister, had been kicked out of the franchise’s cast over her social media posts criticizing the Israel-Hamas conflict.

According to Deadline, there is no connection between the firing of 33-year-old Barrera and 21-year-old Ortega’s exit from the movie.

The source stated that the latter’s busy schedule filming the second season of Netflix’s Wednesday and wrapping up Beetlejuice 2 has prevented her from starring in the upcoming Scream 7.

 
Melissa Barrera as Sam Carpenter
Spyglass, the studio behind Scream VII, said in a statement provided to PEOPLE that they have “unequivocally clear feelings” regarding Barrera’s exit.

With a $169 million global total gross after opening to generally positive reviews, Scream VI became the first Scream film to gross over $100 million at the US domestic box office since Scream 2 (1997).