Netflix users are expressing shock after realising Jenna Ortega has officially left an original series.
Last week, the streaming service releasedJurassic World: Chaos Theory, the animated sequel series to Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which ran for five seasons from 2020 to 2022.
Wednesday star Ortega voiced character Brooklynn in the original series alongside Paul-Mikél Williams, Sean Giambrone, Kausar Mohammed and Raini Rodriguez, who have all returned for follow-up, Chaos Theory.
When the trailer for the show was released, it was revealed that Brooklynn would be killed off, which led to shock among the fandom. However, many believed that this was a trick, and that Brooklynn, and Ortega, would return.
*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*
One of these is true: while the series shows via flashback that Ortega’s character has been killed off, a big twist at the end reveals that Brooklynn is, in fact, alive and well.
However, while the character lives on, she will do so without Ortega’s voice. Instead, the character will be played by Kiersten Kelly. The only other star who has not reprised their role is Ryan Potter, whose character Kenji is instead be voiced by Darren Barnet.
Fans were left stunned by the revelation, with one person calling it “crazy” and another “devastating”. One person wrote on X/Twitter: “Bro I’m watching Camp Cretaceous Chaos Theory and wtf do you mean they killed off Brooklynn??? I guess they couldn’t get Jenna Ortega anymore.”
However, executive producer Scott Kreamer told CinemaBlend that the plan was to kill Brooklynn all along – and had nothing to do with Ortega’s availability.
“The whole idea of Brooklyn dying, that happened long before,” Kreamer told the outlet. “That was written with Jenna doing the role that was not like, ‘Oh, we’re not gonna be able to get Jenna, what can we do?’ It was like, ‘No, this is the character who would be asking the questions that would get her into trouble.’ We knew we were gonna see Brooklynn in flashbacks.”
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The reason for Ortega’s absence from the series could be attributed to the star’s rise in stature in recent years, which may have led to scheduling conflicts.
As well as starring and producing Wednesday, which became a huge hit for Netflix when it was released in 2021, Ortega starred in the fifth and sixth Scream films and has roles in six forthcoming projects, including Tim Burton’s long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel.
Ortega, who hosted her own Saturday Night Live episode in 2023, is currently filming Wednesday season two, which is expected to be released in 2024. The 20-year-old actor also recently starred alongside Martin Freeman, in Miller’s Girl, which has attracted controversy due to her age gap with the 52-year-old star, with whom she has romantic scenes.
The film follows a university student, who embarks on a complicated and inappropriate love affair with her English professor.
Responding to the strong online reaction in a recent interview with The Times, Freeman insisted the movie is “grown-up and nuanced. It’s not saying, ‘Isn’t this great?’”
He called the backlash the film received after the trailer was released “ a shame”, adding: “Are gonna have a go at Liam Neeson for being in a film about the Holocaust?” Neeson led the 1993 war drama Schindler’s List.
Ortega is currently filming Wednesday season two, which is expected to be released in 2024.
Find a full list of everything being removed from Netflix this month here, and everything beind added here.