Shortly after losing two of its main stars, the next instalment in the Scream franchise has taken another massive hit with the departure of director Christopher Landon.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago," the filmmaker wrote on Twitter. "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. What he and Kevin created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow.”
Landon's announcement comes weeks after Melissa Barrera was fired. The actress was reportedly dropped from the movie for sharing "anti-Semitic" comments on social media, with Spyglass Entertainment releasing a statement explaining why they decided to drop her from the film shortly after, citing "rhetoric that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech."
“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.”
We'd later learn that Barrera's co-star, Jenna Ortega, had also parted ways with the horror sequel, but her decision seemingly had nothing to do with Melissa's firing, as it would come to light that she actually left the project some time before.
What happens next is unclear, but according to THR, "the future of Scream VII rests on James Vanderbilt, the writer-producer who co-wrote the rebooted movies and who is writing the current script. Sources say that the scribe, who was already contending with Ortega’s loss, had been focusing the story on Barrera’s character."
It sounds like a huge mess, and some believe it's only a matter of time before we hear that the project has been shelved altogether - though given how successful the last two Scream movies were, we'd say the studio is more likely to forge ahead.
"Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter," reads Scream VI's synopsis. "In Scream VI, Melissa Barrera ("Sam Carpenter"), Jasmin Savoy Brown ("Mindy Meeks-Martin"), Mason Gooding ("Chad Meeks-Martin"), Jenna Ortega ("Tara Carpenter"), Hayden Panettiere ("Kirby Reed"), and Courtney Cox ("Gale Weathers") return to their roles in the franchise alongside Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra and Samara Weaving."