Skeet Ulrich says the modern Scream movies had planned a three-film storyline for Billy Loomis, but Melissa Barrera’s departure from the franchise made completing it impossible.
Ulrich, who originated Billy in Wes Craven’s 1996 Scream, unexpectedly returned decades later in 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI. Because Billy was killed in the original film, the sequels did not literally resurrect him. Instead, he appeared inside the mind of his daughter, Sam Carpenter, played by Barrera.
That connection is exactly why Ulrich does not see a logical path for another appearance.
“Without Melissa Barrera and Sam Loomis, there’s no Billy Loomis,” Ulrich told Us Weekly. He explained that Billy existed in Sam’s head and said the filmmakers had discussed a three-film arc with him that ultimately could not be completed.
Billy Loomis’ comeback was really part of Sam’s story
Ulrich’s comments provide an important piece of context about Billy’s surprising return.
In 2022’s Scream, Sam learned that Billy Loomis was her biological father. His appearances functioned as visions rather than supernatural resurrection, reflecting Sam’s fear that she had inherited something violent from him. The idea continued through Scream VI, where Sam’s relationship with her father’s legacy became an important part of her character development.
That means Billy’s modern role was never truly independent of Barrera’s character. Removing Sam also removed the narrative device that allowed a villain who died in 1996 to remain involved nearly three decades later.
Ulrich’s reference to a “three-film arc” also indicates that his appearances in Scream and Scream VI were intended to lead to at least one more chapter. Exactly what that third appearance would have involved has not been publicly detailed, so it would be speculation to say how Billy’s storyline was originally supposed to end.
Melissa Barrera’s firing changed ‘Scream 7’ completely
Barrera was dropped from the planned seventh film by Spyglass Media Group in November 2023 following social-media posts about the Israel-Gaza war. Spyglass said at the time that it had “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form.” Barrera subsequently said she condemned both antisemitism and Islamophobia and would continue advocating for human rights and peace.
Jenna Ortega, who played Sam’s sister Tara Carpenter, also did not return for the eventual Scream 7, and the movie was substantially reshaped around Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott.
Ulrich likewise did not appear.
The reworked movie nevertheless became a major commercial success. Scream 7 finished with approximately $208 million worldwide, including $121.9 million domestically, making it the highest-grossing installment in the franchise to date.
That success has already pushed the series toward another chapter. Scream 8 is in development, with Poker Face writers Lilla and Nora Zuckerman hired to write the screenplay.
But commercial success does not restore the storyline that Ulrich had expected to complete.
His comments make the divide between the two eras unusually clear. Billy Loomis remains foundational to Scream history, but his 2022 return was built around Sam Carpenter rather than around bringing the original Ghostface back permanently. Unless Sam somehow becomes part of the franchise again, Ulrich appears to consider that version of Billy’s story finished after only two of its planned three films.
