Original Scream 7 director Christopher Landon opens up about why he decided to leave the project, detailing the death threats he received from fans that led to the FBI getting involved. Speaking with Vanity Fair, the filmmaker recalled what he described as a “really scary” situation after fans reacted to the news that star Melissa Barrera would not be returning for Scream 7. Landon noted that he was offered the opportunity to stay onboard and help reimagine the film, but he decided to move on. The intense backlash and severity of the threats had “spoiled” the whole experience for him.
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“People were threatening to kill me and my family, to the point where the FBI was getting involved,” Landon said. “I got messages saying, ‘I’m going to find your kids, and I’m going to kill them because you support child murder. The head of security at various studios and the FBI had to examine the threats. It was highly aggressive and really scary.”
He added, “They wanted me to continue on. They basically said, ‘You can restart it. You can figure it out.’ But the amount of abuse that I had to deal with—I decided I didn’t want to give any part of myself to that. For me, it was not worth it. I would rather put my efforts into something else, where I could feel appreciated and respected. The hate and abuse really spoiled it for me, and I lost my love for the idea of going forward.”
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Landon, whose previous credits include the Happy Death Day films and Freaky, signed on to helm Scream 7 back in August 2023. That December, he shared that he exited the film, saying, “It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare.” Landon left Scream 7 shortly after Barrera was fired from the movie, reportedly due to her support of the Free Palestine movement. Landon told Vanity Fair fans blamed him for Barrera’s firing, even though “I had no control of the situation at all.”
Kevin Williamson, who has written and produced multiple Scream installments, is now onboard to helm Scream 7. The film is currently scheduled to hit theaters February 2026. Notably, the movie features the returns of several dead characters from the franchise — a development that has confused even the actors. Jenna Ortega, who previously starred in 2022’s Scream and Scream VI, won’t be returning for Scream 7, citing the departures of Barrera and directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin.
As excited as Landon was when he first signed on for Scream 7, it’s easy to see why he soured on the project so quickly. It’s one thing for fans to be passionate about the properties they love; without that enthusiasm, franchises like Scream wouldn’t endure for as long as they have. However, there’s absolutely no reason why things had to get to this point. Threatening Landon and his children is uncalled for. It’s very upsetting that the situation was so serious that the FBI had to investigate. It’s also a shame that audiences won’t get a chance to see what Landon’s Scream 7 would have looked like. He’s established himself as a creative horror director, and it would have been fun to see him leave his mark on such a legendary franchise. Scream 7 should be in good hands with Williamson, who knows the series as well as anyone, but Landon could have done something special with the property.
Fortunately, things have gotten back on track for Landon. He recently confirmed that the long-awaited Happy Death Day 3 is finally moving forward, reuniting the director with star Jessica Rothe. The first two installments in that series were well-received box office hits, so it’s great he’s getting an opportunity to round out a film trilogy. Landon previously told ComicBook he wanted the third film to be very different from its predecessors, meaning it should be exciting to see what he comes up with. What happened with Scream 7 was incredibly unfortunate, but Landon seems to have bounced back.
