'Scream 7' Director Says He's Leaving The Film After It 'Turned Into A Nightmare'
Ghostface and Jenna Ortega in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group's "Scream VI."
It looks like the making of “Scream 7” has hit yet another snag.
Just a month after it was announced that leading ladies Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera would not be returning for the slasher sequel, director Christopher Landon said this weekend that he is also calling it quits.
On Saturday, Landon, 48, posted a dejected message on X (formerly Twitter) to share that he’d decided to walk away from the production.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” he wrote. “This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare.”
Landon wrote that his “heart did break for everyone involved.”
“But it’s time to move on,” he wrote. “I have nothing more to add to the conversation other than I hope [original ‘Scream’ director] Wes [Craven’s] legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world.”
The “Freaky” director added: “What he and [original ‘Scream’ screenwriter] Kevin [Williamson] created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow.”
Actors Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, who played Sam and Tara Carpenter in the fifth and sixth "Scream" movies, won't be returning for the seventh.
Over the years, various directors have worked within the “Scream” franchise, including Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett and Craven, who helmed the first four movies and died in 2015.
Last month, Spyglass Media fired Barrera from the upcoming seventh movie over her tweets expressing support for Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A day later, it was revealed that Ortega would also no longer be attached to the film due to a conflict with her shooting schedule for Netflix’s “Wednesday.” The official explanation notwithstanding, fans have speculated that Ortega left because Barrera was let go. The two actors played sisters Tara and Sam Carpenter in the fifth and sixth “Scream” movies.
The news of Landon’s departure, so soon after Barrera and Ortega’s exits, left fans dismayed about the future of the horror franchise.
no director, no melissa, no jenna
if scream 7 ends up being made, literally all promotion for it is gonna be plagued by this AND the movie is gonna have to spend so much time setting up the new storyline and characters like 5 had to it’s gonna be so exhausting. pic.twitter.com/DRXna19Ilv— Cassie 🏴 (@M0NK3Y_G1RL) December 23, 2023
no melissa... no jenna... no script... no director... executive producers ready to start press for their melissa-led monster movie from a different studio.... they need to cough these rights up
— stev ☃️ (@screamreboot) December 23, 2023
since melissa and jenna not gonna be in the next scream movie, please end it https://t.co/bndrdF1q2v
— ery (@FAIRYODDPENlS) December 20, 2023
Variety reports that “Scream 7” was originally aiming to hit theaters in 2025.
