Summary

• Melissa Barrera reveals that she's happy with Sam's ending in Scream 6, and that she was only contracted for two films.
• Sam was originally planned to return in Scream 7, but Barrera was fired due to social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
• Scream 7 can address Sam's absence in the same way Scream 6 addressed Sidney Prescott's.

Scream 7 is in the works. Last November, however, Barrera was fired from the film due to social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict that were deemed anti-Semitic, meaning audiences have now seemingly seen the last of her character.

In a recent interview with Scream 6 ending now serving as her character's franchise finale. According to the actor, she's happy with how things end for her character, revealing that she was only ever contracted for two movies anyway. Check out her comment below:

“I feel like the ending of [ Scream VI ] was a very good ending, and so I don’t feel like 'Ugh, I got left in the middle.' No, I think people, the fans, were wanting a third movie to continue that arc, and apparently, the plan was a trilogy, even though I was only contracted for two movies.

"So, I did my two movies, and I’m fine. I’m good with that. I got two - that’s more than most people get. When you’re on a TV show, and it gets canceled, you can’t harp on things, you gotta move on. That’s the nature of this industry too, I get excited for the next job, I get excited for the next skin I get to put on. It’s exciting to create a different character.

"So yeah, I feel good. I did what I set out to do. It was always meant to be two movies for me, 'cause that was my contract, and so everything is perfect.”

How Will Scream 7 Address Sam's Absence?

Scream 6's Explanation For Neve Campbell's Absence Is A Major Hint

2022's Scream successfully served as a soft reboot for the franchise, and the sixth film continued this success at the box office. Although Sam and Tara had really become the new faces of the franchise, neither character will now be returning. Not long after Barrera was fired, it was reported that Ortega had quietly stepped away from the franchise months earlier due to some combination of scheduling conflicts and a salary dispute. Scream 7, then, could once again serve as a soft reboot of sorts.

Neve Campbell is now confirmed to return as original franchise protagonist Sidney Prescott in the film, as revealed in a recent Instagram post (included above). It's also been reported that Scream 6 cast like Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding will also sit the next one out. Since original characters are set to take center stage once more, Scream 7 could end up feeling more like one of the first four films.

When Campbell opted not to return for Scream 6 due to a salary dispute, Gale explained Sidney's absence in essentially one line, revealing that she had taken her family to a safe location. It's possible that the next film will explain Sam and Tara's absences in the same way, with some dialogue revealing that perhaps they moved to a different part of the country to start a new life. It remains to be seen how the next sequel fares after the success of Scream 6, but Barrera is evidently happy with how Sam's story ends.

Source: Collider