'Scream 7' Lands 'Freaky' Director Christopher Landon
'Scream 7' Lands 'Freaky' Director Christopher Landon
The 'Happy Death Day' director steps in for Radio Silence, which helmed the previous two entries and have other obligations
Somehow, even during a strike of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, Spyglass has managed to put the next installment of the Scream franchise into development.
However, because the Directors Guild of America averted a strike, the film was able to clinch the hiring of Christopher Landon for the seventh film. He is a writer and director experienced in horror films, having written most of the Paranormal Activity sequels, directing The Marked Ones, later directing both Happy Death Day films as well as Freaky. His most recent directorial effort was the Netflix film We Have a Ghost, starring David Harbour, which he also wrote.
Landon takes over from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the filmmaking team better known as Radio Silence, who revived the franchise by helming the previous fifth and sixth installments, released in January 2022 and March 2023. They have chosen to focus on their original horror movie for Universal, even as it’s on hold due to studio negligence that led the writers and actors to strike. The duo and the group’s third member Chad Villella will serve as executive producers. The strikes also mean that this era’s lead actors like Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera and Mason Gooding have not signed on yet, after the films have made $137.7 million and $168.9 million worldwide, respectively. Similarly, there has been no opportunity to make amends to the franchise’s original star Neve Campbell, who was lowballed in negotiations and thus declined to return for VI.
Similarly, writers have yet to be secured for the seventh film. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick wrote the two previous. However, Landon’s writing experience throws all that into question. Paramount is once again expected to be distributor as they have been in the current era of the franchise.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter