Skeet Ulrich Says He’s Done With ‘Scream’ After Melissa Barrera’s Firing Cut His Billy Loomis Story Short

Few horror franchises have kept fans talking as long as ‘Scream,’ and few characters have lingered like Billy Loomis. The original Ghostface killer died in the very first film, yet he never really left the series. His story took an unexpected turn decades later, and now one of the people at its center has explained why it will not continue.

Skeet Ulrich played Billy in the 1996 original, then returned for 2022’s ‘Scream’ and 2023’s ‘Scream VI.’ In those films, Billy showed up as a hallucination to his daughter, Sam Carpenter, played by Melissa Barrera. The setup gave Ulrich a surprising second act in a franchise he thought was behind him.

In an interview with Us Weekly published Tuesday, Ulrich said he does not see himself coming back to the series. His reasoning is simple: without Barrera’s Sam, there is no Billy. Ulrich also said the pair never got to complete the three-film arc that had been described to him when he agreed to return, which would have continued into the seventh movie.

The change traces back to November 2023, when Spyglass Media Group dropped Barrera from the franchise. The company had objected to her social media posts criticizing Israel’s conduct during the war in Gaza, saying it had zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate. Barrera responded by condemning antisemitism while stressing that she wanted to use her platform to raise awareness about issues she cares about.

The decision reshaped the next film. Her on-screen sister, Jenna Ortega, announced she would not return for ‘Scream 7,’ and director Christopher Landon also exited. The movie was retooled, and when it arrived this year, neither Barrera nor Ulrich appeared in it.

The final cast included Matthew Lillard, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding. Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original film, had taken over as director. Without Sam, though, the story Ulrich had been told about no longer existed.

This is not the first time Ulrich has spoken about it. In earlier interviews, he described his return as a three-picture arc for Billy Loomis. According to Ulrich, the idea was for Billy to slowly turn his daughter into the killer, which would have pushed her toward becoming a Ghostface herself.

He later told the New York Post that he used to know where the seventh film was headed and that it sounded “really interesting,” but that he no longer had any idea what it would be. He also said he was excited to see what Williamson would do. Now he has made clear that his involvement ended with the original plan.

In the new interview, Ulrich also expressed strong support for his former co-star. He said he found how the situation unfolded difficult and said Barrera is on the right side of history. He also acknowledged that he had been called out for continuing to work on the franchise himself.

That reaction echoes comments from another ‘Scream’ veteran. Matthew Lillard, who played the other Ghostface in the original film, said last month at a 30th anniversary screening that he felt ashamed of returning for ‘Scream 7’ after Barrera was ousted. He said he was so excited to go back that he did not think about her journey at the time.

Barrera has addressed a possible return too. She said she would only consider going back if the franchise left Spyglass’s hands and moved to people who honor Wes Craven’s legacy more. Even with an apology from the company, she said she would not work with them again.

Her comments mean the door is not fully closed, though it is unlikely to open soon. For now, the franchise continues without the characters who anchored its two previous installments. Whether the series ever revisits the Loomis family remains an open question.

For fans, the update is a bittersweet one. Many had been eager to see where the story of Billy and Sam would go, and Ulrich’s comments confirm that the version they were promised will not happen. The franchise remains alive, but it has clearly moved in a different direction.

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