Skeet Ulrich says Melissa Barrera's Scream firing halted Billy's 3-film arc

Ulrich was, obviously, referring to the firing of Barrera, who joined the slasher franchise as Billy’s illegitimate daughter Sam Carpenter in the 2022 Scream movie. She returned for Scream VI, in what The A.V. Club‘s Phil Pirrello called “a movie star-wattage performance” in a franchise-best film. Barrera was poised to continue as the face of the franchise alongside Jenna Ortega (who also left Scream behind after Barrera was fired). But that plan was killed when Spyglass Media fired Barrera from the franchise in 2023 after she made pro-Palestinian statements on social media. 

Still, the Scream franchise moved on without Barrera and Ortega, and found money to bring back Neve Campbell as Sidney for 2026’s Scream 7. That installment also brought back Matthew Lillard as Stu, a decision the actor later expressed regret over because of the circumstances of Barrera’s exit. One character who didn’t reappear was Ulrich’s Billy, who, despite being killed off in the first film, returned as Sam’s hallucinations in 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI.  But without Barrera’s Sam, it looks like his time in the Scream franchise is effectively dead, like Billy.