As Sidney Prescott faces off against another Ghostface in Scream 7, premiering in theaters Friday, the slasher franchise is facing a fan-led boycott.
During Wednesday’s world premiere of the Kevin Williamson-helmed horror, the director spoke to Deadline about the “Free Palestine” protest amid fallout from Melissa Barrera‘s 2023 firing from the franchise, which has sparked a boycott of the latest installment.
“We live in America,” the filmmaker told us during the premiere. “We have the right to protest.”
He continued, “They have the right to be heard, and they have a right to speak to what your truth is, and I support that.”
After the first trailer for Scream 7 was released in October, fans quickly began slamming the movie on social media, calling for a boycott.
Spyglass fired Barrera in November 2023 over her social media posts on the Israel-Hamas conflict and the “atrocities being committed against Palestinians,” explaining the company has “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.”
Following her ousting, Jenna Ortega also exited the franchise, later noting that the sequel “was all kind of falling apart” without Barrera to play its new ‘final girl’ Sam Carpenter. Director Christopher Landon dropped out of the project as well, citing “highly aggressive and really scary” death threats targeting his children.
Campbell was then brought back to reprise her role as OG “final girl” Sidney Campbell in March 2024, with original Scream (1996) writer Williamson on board to direct. She previously sat out Scream VI (2023) over the low offered pay.
In Scream 7, Sidney Prescott (Campbell) has built a quiet life for herself and her family, including husband Mark (Joel McHale) and daughter Tatum (Isabel May). But when a knew Ghostface comes calling, she has to go back into survivor mode to save her daughter, who is the killer’s next target.
The latest slasher installment stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Scott Foley, Matthew Lillard, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, as well as newcomers Joel McHale, Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Anna Camp, Mark Consuelos and Ethan Embry.
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