20 Recent Movies Ruined For INSANE Reasons
2. Firing Melissa Barrera - Scream 7
After the enormous success of Scream VI, development of the swiftly announced seventh film should've been totally smooth, even with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett opting not to return this time around.
Happy Death Day filmmaker Christopher Landon was swiftly hired as their replacement, though pre-production went off the rails in late 2023 when star Melissa Barrera was fired due to her pro-Palestinian social media posts about the Gaza war.
Co-star Jenna Ortega soon departed in apparent solidarity and Landon also exited thereafter, leaving Scream 7 both without a director and the two leads of the last two movies.
In the months that followed the sequel underwent a hurried creative retooling, with franchise creator Kevin Williamson being hired to direct while original star Neve Campbell was announced to return after sitting out Scream VI due to a salary dispute.
Bringing Sidney back after her arc was resolved felt like an act of desperation - one which left many sceptical that Scream 7 could live up to the standard of the last two sequels.
And the woeful end product, the worst-reviewed Scream film to date, bears all the hallmarks of a roughshod production rushed in front of cameras amid frantic rewrites.
But because it went on to become the highest-grossing Scream film regardless, Paramount will probably take all the wrong lessons away from Scream 7's success.