When writer-director Christopher Landon departed “Scream VII” in 2023, there was what he says actually occurred after which there was a perceived story of what went down.
Landon – helmer of common horror tiles together with “Happy Death Day” in 2017 and 2020’s “Freaky,” and the son of “Little House on the Prairie” star Michael Landon – left the “Scream” franchise shortly after then-star Melissa Barerra was fired from the project, following social media posts she shared round that point about the conflict in Gaza.
“There was no movie anymore. The whole script was about her,” Landon mentioned in the newly revealed ebook, “Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror” by Ashley Cullins, by way of Entertainment Weekly. “I didn’t sign on to make ‘a ‘Scream’ movie. I signed on to make that movie. When that movie no longer existed, I moved on.”
And whereas he mentioned he left the mission “about a week after” Barrera’s exit, the narrative that performed out on social media painted him as “some sort of villain” who had a hand in the actress’ firing.
“They were all screaming at someone who wasn’t even on the movie anymore. There were a lot of people who thought I was some sort of villain. That really got in my head. It was painful, and it was painful to lose a dream job in such a sudden and bizarre way,” Landon mentioned.
Days after Barerra’s exit from the movie – the seventh installment in the common horror franchise that launched in 1996 and was rebooted in 2022 – her costar from the earlier two slasher sequels Jenna Ortega also dropped out, including to the hysteria round the subsequent installment’s manufacturing standing and supreme destiny. Landon added in the new ebook that his determination to talk out about his departure publicly grew to become crucial “after the threats got too intense.”
“I was still sorting through my feelings about everything that had happened. When it all went down, it was something I was trying to process in a private and balanced way,” he mentioned. “When you’re a public‑facing person, often people don’t like that. People want an immediate reaction, and they want you to agree with them.”
Instead of “Scream VII,” Landon in the end targeted on “Drop,” the thriller he wrote and directed starring “White Lotus” star Meghann Fahy, which launched to favorable reviews.
“It took a minute,” he mentioned about the pivot he navigated in his profession at the time, however “it ended up being the best decision of my life.”
“Scream VII,” in the meantime, discovered new life, with unique “Scream” (1996) scribe Kevin Williamson on board to direct. Returning with him are unique franchise stars Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, together with a complete host of different former “Scream” stars who had been killed off in prior installments, together with David Arquette, Matthew Lillard and Scott Foley.
The new movie is slated for launch in February 2026.