The horror film specialist known for his work on “Happy Death Day” and “Freaky,” announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he has officially stepped down as the director of the next installment in the iconic “Scream” franchise. Christopher Landon shared the news on Saturday, revealing that he exited the project seven weeks ago. He expressed mixed emotions about leaving what was initially a dream job but had turned into a challenging experience, referring to it as a “dream job that turned into a nightmare.” Landon conveyed his disappointment for everyone involved but stated that it was time for him to move on.
He added: ‘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’s exit marked the culmination of a turbulent few months for the troubled project, which has also included the departure of two lead actors.
On November 21, reports surfaced indicating that Spyglass had terminated actress Melissa Barrera from the upcoming seventh installment of the Scream movie series due to her social media posts, which were deemed antisemitic. The horror film specialist
During the Israel-Hamas War, Barrera shared a post accusing Israel of ‘genocide and ethnic cleansing.’ The actress, known for her role as Sam Carpenter in the franchise, referred to Israel as a ‘colonized’ land and shared content containing an antisemitic trope related to Jewish people’s control over the media.
The Hollywood Reporter mentioned that Barrera went on to state in another Instagram Stories post that ‘Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp.’ In response to Barrera’s remarks, a Spyglass spokesperson provided a statement to Variety, explaining the decision to part ways with the actress.
The spokesperson clarified Spyglass’ position, stating, ‘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.’
At the time, the movie’s director, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, distanced himself from the decision, expressing in a since-deleted tweet: ‘Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.’
Following the news of Barrera’s departure, it was also reported that fellow star Jenna Ortega would not be returning to the project.