Christopher Landon, who was slated to direct “Scream VII,” said Saturday on X that he had “formally exited” the film.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” Landon said. “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. 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,” he continued.
“What he and Kevin created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow,” Landon concluded.
The news comes a month after an insider revealed to TheWrap that Jenna Ortega would not return for “Scream VII” and after Melissa Barrera was fired from the film over social media posts about the Israeli-Hamas war.
Ortega’s exit from the film franchise is said to be due to schedule conflicts. The actress will begin filming season two of the Netflix series “Wednesday” in April 2024.
Barrera’s dismissal was more complicated. The actress was not fired for posting pro-Palestinian content or for calling for a ceasefire in the war, but because she posted content that stakeholders in the film thought was antisemitic. In a since-deleted Instagram post, she wrote, “Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp.”
Spyglass Media told TheWrap, “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.” Barrera was fired in October.
Sources also noted that Ortega actually left production ahead of the SAG-AFTRA strike, but the news was not made public until months later.