The first teaser for Scream 7 has dropped; however, rather than hyping people up, it's stirred up controversy and split opinions across social media. A number of followers of the decades-old horror series are speaking out, showing frustration, and pushing to skip the movie because Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega aren’t in it anymore.The latest film, helmed by Kevin Williamson, lands in theaters on February 27, 2026. Though Neve Campbell is back as Sidney Prescott from the original crew, viewers argue it misses something without Barrera and Ortega, who played sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter in the last pair of movies.After the trailer dropped, 'BoycottScream7' started spreading on X, as plenty of people urged the studio to rehire Barrera and Ortega or said they’d skip the movie entirely. One X user summed up the sentiment simply:ρℓαყ @reficco34LINK@ScreamMovies We want them backFans continued to show their support for Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega.Alex Coleman @DarkOfTheMovieLINKThis is missing two very important women…glinda irl! 🫧 @kashhkardashianLINKno melissa barrera and jenna ortega? im not eating that!🫡Maxx🚗💨 @that_guy_maxx04LINKAs much as I’d like to see what they do with Stu and Matthew Lillard, the stuff the Scream producers pulled with Melissa Barrera is just sickening, and there’s no way I’m gonna spend money to support that:/Some fans have redirected their support toward Barrera’s other projects, including her 2024 horror film Your Monster and the upcoming The Copenhagen Test, which co-stars Simu Liu and is scheduled for release in December 2025.𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖊 🔪🩸 @rosietheslasherLINKwhere the scream franchise ended for me𝙘𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨! @sattanswhoreLINKwow so all the leaks were true, this is truly pathetic this movie is gonna suck so bad 😭😭😭No Context Sandlerverse @sandlerverseLINKBoycott Scream 7 and Support Scary Movie 6 instead.Scream 7: Why Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are no longer part of the franchiseAccording to a November 2023 report from Variety, Spyglass Media removed Scream actress Melissa Barrera from the franchise after she shared posts on social media regarding the Israel–Hamas conflict. The company cited a statement that quickly drew public debate:“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.”Shortly after Barrera’s departure, Jenna Ortega also exited the project. While early reports suggested scheduling conflicts with Netflix’s Wednesday, Ortega later told The Cut that the production had “started to fall apart” after Barrera’s firing and creative changes to the team she had worked closely with.“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling. The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If ‘Scream VII’ wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.”The road ahead for the franchiseA still from the movie's trailer (Image via YouTube/Paramount Pictures)Even with the criticism, Scream 7 still pulls in attention online. Quite a few viewers are excited just by the idea of seeing the old-school cast return. Then again, plenty of others argue that losing Barrera and Ortega creates a gap that no new casting might fix.As of now, Spyglass Media and Paramount Pictures have not issued further statements addressing the renewed criticism. Whether the boycott will impact the movie’s box office performance remains to be seen.Scream 7 will hit the theaters on February 27, 2026.Also read: Scream 7 cast & characters: Meet the stars behind the film and the roles they play.