Melissa Barrera says she’d reprise her Scream role if rights move from Spyglass

Melissa Barrera has not ruled out returning to the Scream franchise, but only if the rights are no longer held by Spyglass Media Group. In an interview reported by Deadline, she told JustWatch that she loves the film series, yet she would not go back while the current rights holder remains in charge.

“Not with the company that currently holds the rights,” Barrera said, adding that the leadership there “made it a point to label me something that I’m not, and they never apologized, even when I was proven right.” While she stopped short of promising a return under present ownership, she left room for a different scenario, saying that if the franchise were to move into hands that honor Wes Craven’s legacy more, she would consider it.

In other words, Barrera’s openness to returning hinges on a transfer of control away from Spyglass Media Group. She emphasized that her decision is not about the franchise itself but about the people currently running the company.

Context around the dispute

The firing occurred in November 2023 after Barrera posted about the Israel-Hamas conflict and the alleged atrocities against Palestinians. Spyglass said it has “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing or Holocaust distortion.” Barrera has argued that the leadership made untrue characterizations that were not corrected.

Deadline’s piece notes that Barrera’s stance came amid broader turbulence around the Scream seven-figure slate, including other actors and a director responding to threats and changes during development. Jenna Ortega exited the franchise after Barrera’s departure, and Christopher Landon withdrew as director citing safety concerns raised by aggressive responses online. Neve Campbell later returned to reprise Sidney Prescott for Scream 7, with Wes Craven’s legacy referenced as the project moved forward under new directorial leadership.

As Scream 7 premiered at Paramount Studios in February, there were public signals of continued fan- and commentator-driven controversy around the franchise’s rights and direction, including protests tied to the Israel-Hamas topic at the time of related marketing activity. Deadline’s coverage frames Barrera’s comments as part of a broader, ongoing conversation about who should control the rights and how a franchise should honor its founders and legacy.

For fans and observers, Barrera’s remarks underscore a potential pivot: if the rights shift away from Spyglass, the door could reopen for her and possibly other cast members under new stewardship. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen, but the dialogue around rights, legacy, and accountability shows no sign of fading from Scream’s surface.

Source: Deadline

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