Scream 7 (Neve Campbell and Kevin Williamson Returning)

Spyglass is answering the call once more, throwing a new Scream horror movie into development.

The company has tapped Christopher Landon, a scary movie stalwart whose credits include the Happy Death Day movies as well as body-switching horror-comedy Freaky, to direct the seventh installment of the long-running franchise, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Landon takes over from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the filmmaking team known as Radio Silence, who helmed the 2022 installment that rebooted and refurbished the movie series. The duo followed that movie, simply titled Scream, with Scream VI, which was released in March.

Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett stepped back, in part, to focus on an original horror movie for Universal, which currently remains impacted by the actors strike. The duo, as well as third group member Chad Villella, will now act as executive producers.

The two recent movies, distributed by Paramount, scared up $137.7 million and $168.9 million worldwide, respectively, and introduced a fresher-faced cast to the bloody proceedings, among them Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera and Mason Gooding. Sources say the actors do not have deals for a new installment but are expected to return once the dual writer and actor strikes are settled. Ortega’s deal will be one to watch, as the actress signed on to the franchise before she was catapulted to the A-list thanks to Netflix’s Wednesday.

Also unclear is who will be writing Scream 7. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick wrote the scripts for the two recent movies, however Landon is also an established screenwriter. He wrote his directorial efforts, Freaky and Happy Death Day 2U and last year’s We Have a Ghost, and co-wrote numerous Paranormal Activity films. The script aspect won’t come into focus until the writers strike ends.

It is also expected that Paramount will return as distributor.

Wes Craven directed the first four Scream movies, with Kevin Williamson penning the original released in 1996, creating a dominant horror movie series that winkingly serves up meta commentary alongside scares. It centered on the hunt for a killer (or killers) in a black sheet and white mask named Ghostface.

Landon’s most recent movie was We Have a Ghost, which starred David Harbour and Jahi Winston, and debuted on Netflix in February.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Nice! I liked both of the Happy Death Day movies. Looking at his filmography and he also wrote the screenplay for Disturbia and I loved that movie. This is going to be good, possibly the best of the trilogy.

Spyglass Media Group initially declined comment when Variety broke the news that the company had dropped Melissa Barrera from the cast of “Scream 7.” But now the production banner behind the hit horror franchise’s revival is pushing back on a narrative that has quickly coalesced around the decision: that Barrera was fired for showing support for the Palestinian cause. Instead, a spokesperson clarifies that Barrera’s posts were interpreted as antisemitic.

“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,” a Spyglass spokesperson tells Variety.

In the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks and Israel’s subsequent attacks on Gaza, Barrera has been posting on her Instagram about the conflict, resharing a post that accuses Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” and one from Jewish Currents magazine about distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry.” Spyglass quickly cut ties with the “In the Heights” actor following the posts. Barrera was slated to star in the next “Scream” outing after leading the fifth and sixth entries over the past two years.

Barrera is no longer working with a publicist. Variety has reached out to a manager for Barrera for a response.

Filmmaker Christopher Landon, who is slated to take over directing duties on “Scream VII” after Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett stepped away after steering the franchise revival, initally offered a statement on Barrera’s exit, though his post on X/Twitter has now been deleted.

“Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make,” Landon wrote.

UltimateMarvel wrote:NOOOOOOO!!!! This movie can't catch a break. I don't know everything about the history of what's happening but I've seen enough to know that it's genocide what they're doing. I've seen many videos saying they want to wipe them all. Not to mention disgusting TikToks where parents are involving children and teaching them to hate Palestinians. Anyway, I hope they re-hire her or maybe she can get support from all the cast members by threatening to walk and they'll have no choice but to re-hire her.

WyldeMan wrote:That cast said fuck all when Neve couldn't get paid and lost her own franchise, so this cast won't speak up for her replacement either. 

Now with no Barerra and Ortega too busy to return and no news of the studio reversing course to pay Neve, the future of this franchise is quickly going up in smoke.

The Scream franchise is getting murdered.

One day after Spyglass fired star Melissa Barrera from Scream VII, the latest installment of the horror movie series, it has been revealed that Jenna Ortega will also not be returning.

Losing the two main leads who were instrumental in revitalizing the aging franchise now puts its future in question. Christopher Landon remains on board as director — for now — but next steps for Spyglass remain unclear.

Sources insist that Ortega’s departure has nothing to do with Barrera’s firing, which occurred after she made dozens of social media posts referring to the Israel-Hamas war. Sources say that Ortega’s representatives informed Spyglass prior to the actors strike that the actress, one of the biggest young Hollywood names to emerge in the past decade, would not be returning. Multiple sources say the actress either had no deal or, in the renegotiating of her option, asked what the movie company deemed was too much money. Spyglass had previously declined to bring back original franchise star Neve Campbell after she had asked for a significant raise for Scream VI. (Campbell would later say, “I couldn’t walk on set … feeling undervalued.”)

Barrera and Ortega have played sisters in the franchise since 2022’s Scream. In the short time since that film was released, Ortega became a sizable star thanks to her work on Netflix’s hit Wednesday, and was seen as a linchpin to the Scream franchise.

2022’s Scream revamped the series, with younger stars including Barrera and Ortega teaming up with legacy actors Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette. It grossed $137.7 million globally. The New York-set Scream VI topped $168.9 million globally.

Not even Ghostface could see this twist coming.

The “Scream” franchise lost two stars this week, putting the seventh film in the series in a creative conundrum, according to sources familiar with the project.

Variety broke the news that Melissa Barrera was fired by Spyglass, the film’s producer, in recent days over social media messages that it deemed to be antisemitic (specifically, posts regarding the Israel-Hamas war). That decision was made after the company was notified that Jenna Ortega, whose star has risen considerably since she joined the beloved Wes Craven horror series, would not return due to a scheduling conflict with the second season of her smash Netflix hit “Wednesday.” Barrera and Ortega play sisters in the films.

Backlash to Barrera’s ouster has been intense, with the film’s director Christopher Landon reacting to the events surrounding her exit. He posted and deleted a statement on X on Tuesday that read, “Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”

It seemed to some fans like the planned sequel was collapsing in real time. However, even before Barrera was fired, plans for the next “Scream” were being retooled. Ortega’s exit had required the creative team to make some alterations, according to individuals with knowledge, but there were still hopes that the actress might be convinced to come back for some sort of cameo. That no longer seems to be in the cards. Another source familiar with the franchise disputed this, saying Ortega was never in the mix for the new film.

James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, the writers of the previous two “Scream” installments, will now work on a fresh draft to present to filmmakers. Some set pieces and twists may be preserved, but the movie will need to find new protagonists. Ortega and Barrera signed on for two “Scream” movies and fulfilled those obligations with installments five and six, another source noted. They would have needed new deals for the seventh chapter.

So who will have to do battle with the masked killer? The “Scream” movies have a bench of characters who are still alive or who could be reanimated (it’s a horror movie, after all, and the joy of “Scream” is that it does not bury its dead too deep). These include Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, the original stars of the series. Campbell appeared in 2022’s “Scream,” but opted not to return for 2023’s “Scream VI” over a salary dispute. Producers are keen to see her reclaim her iconic character Sidney Prescott. Another possibility could be Patrick Dempsey, who had a scene-stealing turn in 2000’s “Scream 3.” None of these actors have been in active negotiations thus far.

Spyglass had no comment.

The hope had been for “Scream 7” to hit theaters in 2025. Although the producers are essentially starting from scratch, that release date still seems feasible if Landon and the writers can find another scary story to tell. “Scream” films don’t require extensive visual effects and can be produced quickly.

All it takes is a bloody good idea.

UltimateMarvel wrote:With Jenna gone, they have to bring in Neve and I hope she asks for even more money now. Fucking idiots!

Christopher Landon is no longer answering the Scream VII call. The director has dropped out of the feature, capping a tumultuous few months for the embattled project that has included the exits of two of its leads.

“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago. 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,” Landon wrote on X Saturday. “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.”

On Nov. 21, news broke that Spyglass had fired actor Melissa Barrera from the upcoming seventh Scream movie over social media posts it characterized as antisemitic, while a day later word came that fellow star Jenna Ortega would not be returning.

Sources note Barrera’s firing actually came in October, in the early weeks of the Israel-Hamas war, during which the actor had become increasingly vocal. Ortega’s exit, which was her and her representation team’s decision, came before this summer’s SAG-AFTRA strike but was not made public until last month.

Landon is the horror specialist behind Happy Death Day and Freaky, and would have taken over for the directing team Radio Silence, which revitalized the franchise with 2022’s Scream as well as Scream VI, which bowed in March and became the horror franchise’s highest domestic grosser and biggest hit since the 1996 original directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson.

Landon, who was hired before the actors strike, expressed unhappiness after Barrera’s firing was announced. “This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling,” Landon wrote on X Nov. 21, before deleting the post. “This was not my decision to make.”

Now, 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. When she was let go, he at least had a creative partner in Landon to shoulder the story. Now the franchise is back at the zero marker and will need to be rebuilt whole cloth.

UPDATED with more details: Neve Campbell said Tuesday that she will return as Sidney Prescott for the next film in the Scream franchise.

In an Instagram post today, Campbell said she’s been asked back and is happy to return to the pic, which for now is known only as Untitled Scream 7 and will be directed by original Scream writer Kevin Williamson from a script penned by Guy Busick.

Campbell, an original Scream star, did not appear in last year’s sixth movie of the franchise because of a pay dispute. Her most recent appearance in the series was 2022’s Scream, which served as a franchise reboot. She had signaled as recently as January that she wouldn’t rule out returning to the role for the right price.

“It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies,” Campbell wrote today. “My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned. I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!”

Campbell added that she had “dreamt for years” of making a Scream movie with Williamson at the helm — his first time directing in the franchise. He takes over from Christopher Landon, who exited the project in late 2023.

“It’s been nearly 30 years since my very first script, Scream, was directed by the legendary Wes Craven,” Williamson wrote in his own Instagram post today. “I never would have predicted what it would become. Or that I would be directing the seventh installment of the franchise.”

Busick (Scream 2022 and Scream VI) is taking over screenwriting reins from James Vanderbilt, producer Spyglass Media Group said today. Vanderbilt, who is on location directing Nuremberg, will continue to produce Scream 7 alongside his Project X Entertainment partners William Sherak and Paul Neinstein. Radio Silence is executive producing.

The Scream project has been in the news in recent months after star Melissa Barrera was let go because of comments she made on social media about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Jenna Ortega later left the project due to scheduling reasons, and Landon soon followed.

Campbell’s return will get things in motion, but no date is set for the new film.

On the heels of the 2022 Scream relaunch, Scream VI hit theaters in March 2023 and broke the original’s record for the highest domestic box office gross in the franchise ($108.1 million). Its global box office cume is $168.9 million.  

Campbell is repped Gersh, Anonymous Content, and Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett & Kole.

Neve Campbell may be joined by a couple of familiar faces in the upcoming sequel Scream 7.

After some troubles behind the scenes, Scream 7 lost two of its main stars when Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega both exited the project. This was followed by reports that Neve Campbell was wanted to return as Sidney Prescott, and she has since announced that she's officially signed on. The movie will also be directed by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original Scream film helmed by Wes Craven. No other cast members have been officially announced at this time, though movie scooper Daniel Richtman is reporting two franchise stars will potentially reunite with Campbell in the film.

According to Richtman, Courteney Cox is a "lock" to reprise her role as Gale in the new movie. This would not be a major surprise, as Cox appeared in all six prior movies, and it had seemed more likely than not that Gale would be back in Scream 7. However, the new report also noted that Patrick Dempsey is now in talks to return for the sequel as well. If he signs on, it would mark the first time Dempsey has been featured in a Scream movie since his one and only appearance in Scream 3. In the 2000 film, Dempsey played Detective Mark Kincaid.

A release date hasn't yet been announced for Scream 7.

Source: Daniel Richtman

UltimateMarvel wrote:I just saw Patrick Dempsey recently in Thanksgiving and he looks damn good for his age.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Yep. Just saw that he was in Ferrari too which I haven't watched yet.

He played the Sherriff in Thanksgiving: