Melissa Barrera Wants to Be in Scary Movie 6: “That Would Be So Fun”
The Scary Movie franchise has the chance to do the funniest thing ever — and former Scream star Melissa Barrera is open to the possibility.
If horror is enjoying a multi-year renaissance, then the same must also be said for the films that aim to satirize the genre. Just as the Scream franchise came back swinging against legasequels and “high-concept” horror, so too will the Scary Movie saga. Paramount and Miramax announced a new installment of the latter last week, and there’s likely no better time to skewer horror anew. With studios like Blumhouse, Neon, and A24 redefining what it means to tell a scary story — and new blockbusters popping up left and right — Scary Movie 6 is certainly spoiled for choice.
The upcoming film may very well comment on some behind-the-scenes tumult, too. In November 2023, Scream star Melissa Barrera was axed from the horror franchise for weighing in on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza (a choice that producers at Spyglass called antisemitic). But the Scary Movie franchise, which was explicitly formed to poke fun at teen horror movies like Scream, could turn this all around by casting Barrera as the lead in Scary Movie 6.
Barrera, at least, is open to the possibility. “I always loved those movies,” the actress tells Inverse. “When I saw it announced, I was like, ‘Oh, that would be fun. That would be so fun to do.’”
There’s no word yet on whether Scary Movie 6 will tap its original stars or pair them up with a new cast, but Barrera seems keen on watching a reunion either way. “They have the iconic cast that did it, so we’ll see what goes on with that. I’m just excited to see a new one,” she says.
Barrera may be done with the Scream franchise, but she’s open to more horror, especially with Scary Movie 6.
Whether she gets the call from Paramount or not, Barrera won’t be quitting horror any time soon. Her latest film sees her reuniting with Radio Silence, the creative team behind Scream V and VI, for the vampire movie Abigail. As for future roles, nothing’s really off the table: “I have this thing of never saying never to anything. I’m very open to the opportunities that come.”
Said opportunities might include a comedy, another musical (she starred in the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights, as well as a modern-day take on Carmen opposite Paul Mescal), or even action.
“I love physical roles,” Barrera adds, citing Scream and Abigail as horror films that have given her “little tastes of action” so far. The actress wants to take things a step further with a proper dive into the genre, and is “flattered” by the fans who want to see her take on bigger IP like Wonder Woman or even Tomb Raider.
“I’ve always felt that a Latino superhero would be very good at uniting the community,” Barrera, born in Mexico, says. Whatever the future holds, the actress really seems ready for anything, so it’ll be really interesting to see what project she chooses next.
