Scream star Melissa Barrera ‘dropped from sequel over Israel-Hamas online posts’

Scream star Melissa Barrera will seemingly not take part in the next film after being ‘dropped’ (Picture: FilmMagic)

Scream actress Melissa Barrera has reportedly been dropped from the upcoming Scream 7 over posts she made about Israel and Palestine.

The actress starred in Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023) as Sam Carpenter alongside Jenna Ortega – but won’t be returning for the next instalment.

Sources told Deadline the actress has been dropped from the project over her reposting Instagram stories to her own account about Palestine and the war between Israel and Hamas.

The war between Israel and Hamas continues to rage in Gaza after Israel responded to the October 7 attacks.

One such post, shared to Melissa’s Instagram originally from another user, said ‘if you’re wondering how the world watched when genocides and ethnic cleansings happened… this is how.’

In a post to her page last month, she said she came from a colonized country, posting a Mexican flag, and said ‘Palestine will be free.’

In another post written by herself, she wrote ‘Just like all Palestinians are NOT Hamas, All Jewish people are NOT the Israeli Govt. Do not blame, or hate on, a whole group of people because of what some are doing.’

Sources claimed Melissa was dropped over her Instagram posts and reposts which were perceived as antiemitic (Picture: WireImage)

No casting has officially been announced, however the outlet reports Melissa had been set to reprise her role in the franchise.

Scream 7 was confirmed earlier this year, with Christopher Landon to direct.

There was a switch up on set as Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – who served as filmmakers for the two most recent movies – were replaced by Christopher.

He was behind Freaky and Happy Death Day, and also wrote Disturbia and a string of Paranormal Activity films.

The reports come amid ongoing devastation in Gaza where thousands have been killed and injured, with work now being undertaken to release hostages.

On Tuesday, the BBC issued a statement condemning ‘abuse’ after University Challenge was accused of airing an antisemitic trope.

Christopher Landon is set to direct the next film (Picture: Getty Images)

The series had aired an episode re-recorded in March, before the war, and saw a team use an octopus as a mascot, while a woman in a hijab wore an outfit which some claimed bore the Palestinian flag colours.

The new mascot sparked fury online, with viewers accusing University Challenge of platforming an offensive antisemitic trope, which can be found in early 20th century Nazi propaganda, after a German cartoonist depicted Winston Churchill as a blue octopus with a Star of David above its head and tentacles encompassing a globe, warning of an imaginary worldwide Jewish conspiracy.

In a statement, the BBC blasted the complaints, saying in a statement: ‘We are aware of a number of inaccurate claims being made online in relation to last night’s episode of University Challenge and we utterly condemn the abuse that has been posted and shared.

‘For the avoidance of doubt, this episode was filmed in March. The mascot is one of many chosen by the team during the course of the series and is one of their favourite animals.

‘The jacket worn by one of the contestants was navy blue, orange, pink and green, bought from a High Street retailer. It has no connection to any flag.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Melissa and Paramount for comment.

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The star has regularly posted and reposted messages about the war.