Director Christopher Landon has departed “Scream 7.”
The “Happy Death Day” director announced his exit on X/Twitter Saturday, writing, “I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited ‘Scream 7’ weeks ago. This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it’s time to move on.”
He continued, “I have nothing more to add to the conversation other than I hope Wes’ legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world. What he and Kevin created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow.”
Variety has reached out to Spyglass for comment.
The “Scream” franchise is in turmoil ever since Melissa Barrera, the star of the fifth and sixth installments, was fired from “Scream 7” over social media posts regarding Israel and Palestine. Amid the Israel-Hamas War, the actor shared a post that accuses Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” and posted an excerpt from Jewish Currents magazine about distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry.”
“Scream” producer Spyglass severed ties with Barrera after the posts, saying the actor was not fired for showing support for the Palestinian cause but because her messages were interpreted as antisemitic. “Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” the production company said to Variety in a statement.
Landon wrote on X after Barrera’s exit, “Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.” The post has since been deleted.
After Barrera was fired from “Scream 7,” it was announced that her co-star, Jenna Ortega, also exited the franchise due to her “Wednesday” Season 2 shooting schedule. Ortega’s departure was apparently not influenced by Barrera’s firing and was in the works months ago before the SAG-AFTRA strike began. Production dates for “Wednesday” Season 2 have yet to be confirmed.
The 2022 revival of “Scream” brought back original stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette and introduced franchise newcomers Mason Gooding Jr. and Jasmine Savoy Brown. Campbell declined to return for “Scream 6” due to a pay dispute, but directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet expressed hope that she would come back to the series in the future. “Scream 6” ended on a happy note for Ortega and Barrera’s characters, who beat the Ghostface killer once again and repaired their relationship.
