Protestors gathered outside of Wednesday night’s “Scream 7” premiere at the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, calling for a boycott of the horror film in a show of support for Palestine.
About 25 demonstrators were seen positioned around the lot with flags, drums and bullhorns. They were heard chanting phrases like “Paramount, Paramount, what do you say?” and “Palestine will live forever!”
While speaking on the red carpet, “Scream 7” director Kevin Williamson shared his thoughts on the protest.
“We live in a world where a lot of bad things are happening out there, and I think a lot of people want to be heard and they want to have their voice heard about the bad stuff that’s happening,” Williamson told Variety. “My heart goes out to them. I don’t know if canceling Paramount+ is the way to do it. But I think people should listen to their inner self and do what feels good for them.”
The outrage likely stems from the firing of the former series star Melissa Barrera. In the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack and Israel’s subsequent retaliation, Barrera took to Instagram to share her views on the conflict. She was largely critical of Israel, and she accused the nation of “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” She also shared a post from Jewish Currents Magazine about distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry.” Shortly after, “Scream” producer Spyglass Media Group exclusively revealed to Variety that it had dropped the “In the Heights” actress from the franchise because of the posts.
“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have 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,” a Spyglass spokesperson told Variety at the time.
Co-star Jenna Ortega, citing scheduling conflicts, exited “Scream 7” shortly after, along with original director Christopher Landon, who said he received death threats over Barrera’s firing. The script had to be rewritten, and Neve Campbell’s original heroine, Sidney Prescott, was inserted as the lead. Williamson, who wrote the first “Scream” movie, took over as director.
“Scream 7,” which premieres on Friday, follows Campbell’s Sidney Prescott as she relocates to Woodsboro for a quiet life with her daughter, only to have Ghostface return to burn it all down. Campbell stars alongside fellow original cast members Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Matthew Lillard, as well as Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale and Mckenna Grace.
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