Ulrich Says Barrera’s Exit Ended Planned Scream Arc

Skeet Ulrich says Melissa Barrera’s removal from the Scream franchise brought an end to a planned three-film story arc involving his character, Billy Loomis. Ulrich said he does not see Billy returning without Barrera’s character, Sam Loomis, who was written as Billy’s daughter and appeared to him in hallucinations. “They had their chance at it and didn’t quite get to complete the three-film arc that they talked to me about,” Ulrich said in an interview. He added that without Barrera and Sam, “there’s no Billy Loomis.” His comments describe his view of the planned storyline, but do not establish a final decision by the filmmakers about future casting or the character’s fate. Barrera played Sam in the franchise’s 2022 and 2023 films. Spyglass, the franchise producer, said in 2023 that Barrera would not continue after her social-media posts about Israel and Gaza. The company cited its policy against antisemitism and incitement of hate. The sources do not establish any subsequent change to that decision. Ulrich first played Billy in the 1996 original and later reprised the role in the 2022 film and Scream VI.