Protesters gathered outside the “Scream 7” premiere at the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles on Wednesday night to show support for Palestine and call for a boycott of the horror film.
About 25 demonstrators were seen stationed around the compound with flags, drums and loudspeakers. They could be heard chanting phrases such as “Paramount, Paramount, what do you say?” And “Palestine will live forever!”
“Scream 7” director Kevin Williamson spoke on the red carpet and shared his thoughts on the protests.
“We live in a world where there’s a lot of bad things happening, and I think a lot of people want to be heard and have their voices heard about the bad things that are happening,” Williamson told Variety. “I really feel for them. I don’t know if canceling Paramount+ is the best way to go. But I think people should listen to their inner selves and do what feels good for them.”
The outrage can be attributed to the firing of former series star Melissa Barrera. Following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 and Israel’s subsequent retaliation, Barrera took to Instagram to share her views on the conflict. She has primarily criticized Israel, accusing it of “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” She also shared a post from Jewish Times magazine about distorting the “Holocaust to promote Israel’s arms industry.” Shortly after, “Scream” producer Spyglass Media Group exclusively revealed to Variety that it had dropped the “In the Heights” actress from the series over the post.
“Spyglass’ position is clear: We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or incitement to hatred in any form, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or anything that crosses the line into blatant hate speech,” a Spyglass spokesperson told Variety at the time.
Co-star Jenna Ortega left Scream 7 shortly after, citing scheduling conflicts, along with original director Christopher Landon, who said he had received death threats over Barrera’s firing. The script had to be rewritten, and Neve Campbell’s original heroine Sidney Prescott was inserted as the lead. Williamson, who wrote the first “Scream” film, took over as director.
“Scream 7,” which premieres Friday, tells the story of Sidney Prescott, played by Campbell, who moves to Woodsboro in search of a quiet life with his daughter, but Ghostface returns and burns everything down. Campbell will co-star with original cast members Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Matthew Lillard, as well as Isabel May, Jasmine Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, and McKenna Grace.
