After Jenna Ortega, director Christopher Landon has now opened up about why he exited from Scream 7. The filmmaker announced his departure from the horror sequel in December 2023, about a month after Melissa Barerra was fired from the film due to social media posts she wrote about Israel and Palestine.
It was also followed by Jenna Ortega's exit from the movie. While explaining his unexpected exit from the movie, the director said that he used to receive death threats for firing actress Barerra from the film after her exit.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, as quoted by Variety, the director shared the aftermath of Barerra's exit. "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," said Landon.
The filmmaker said that he was reportedly blamed for the actress's exit because the fans thought that it was always the director's decision to fire artists in the movie.
"I think in the absence of people understanding how Hollywood works and what the hierarchy is, the fans were like, 'That's the guy.' And so they came for me, knives out."
He continued, "I did not fire her. A lot of people think I had something to do with it, and it was not my doing. I had no control of the situation at all." as quoted by Variety. When Landon announced his exit in December 2023, he wrote on social media that getting Scream 7 was "a dream job that turned into a nightmare." He told Vanity Fair the death threats against him are why.
"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," he added.
Landon also expressed his sadness for losing out on his dream job amid the chaos. "In the midst of all the chaos, I was grieving the loss of one of my dream jobs," said Landon. Scream 7 has moved on with Kevin Williamson, the franchise's original screenwriter, stepping in to direct. The film will feature the return of franchise icon Neve Campbell.