Scream 7 had a somewhat rocky premiere, as protestors condemned the firing of Melissa Barrera.
The Scream 7 premiere was disrupted by approximately 25 protesters, according to Variety. Equipped with drums, megaphones, and banners, the group chanted slogans protesting both the firing of Scream (2022) and Scream VI star Melissa Barrera and the Israel’s ongoing actions in Palestine, chanting “Paramount, Paramount, what do you say?” and “Palestine will live forever!” Paramount is the film’s distributor.
Barrera was dismissed by production house Spyglass Media Group in the wake of the October 7, 2022 terrorist attacks in Israel, when she took to social media to describe Israel’s actions against Palestine as “genocide and ethnic cleansing”. She was swiftly followed by co-star Jenna Ortega, who cited scheduling issues, and director Christopher Landon, who received numerous death threats in the wake of Barrera’s departure. Landon was replaced by original Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson, while a frantic rewrite and a considerable sum of money saw original Scream star Neve Campbell return the the franchise.
Pigeonholed on the red carpet, Williamson addressed the protest, saying, “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. 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.”
Speaking to Variety on the occasion of Barrera’s firing, Spyglass said, “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.” Which hasn’t exactly aged well.
Scream 7 is in cinemas now.
MORE IN News
