The amount of drama that’s coming out of the pre-production process for the next ‘Scream’ movie isn’t going to end any time soon.
After Melissa Barrera was fired on 11.22.23, due to her Israel-Hamas war comments on social media, a shitstorm kicked in, which then led to her co-star, Jenna Ortega, also leaving the franchise.
We were supposed to believe that Ortega left due to a “conflict” with her schedule, but, just hours before her departure was announced, I had reported that Ortega wanted out of her ‘Scream’ contract due to Barrera’s firing.
This chaos has now led to Christopher Landon quitting as the director of ‘Scream 7.’
“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,” Landon wrote on X this afternoon.
“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.”
Landon is the filmmaker behind “Happy Death Day” and “Freaky”, and was going to take over the directing team of Radio Silence, who re-energized the franchise with 2022’s “Scream” as well as this year’s “Scream VI.”
So, it’s now back to square one for writer-producer James Vanderbilt, who had been writing the current script with Ortega and Barrera’s characters in mind. Now he’s going to have to go back to square one, with no director currently at the helm of the franchise.