American film director, producer, and screenwriter Christopher Landon has announced his exit from the project ‘Scream 7’, reported Deadline.
In August, he was announced as the helmer of the latest in the ‘Scream’ franchise. However, the director has now taken to his social media handle to break the news that he has left the project.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” Landon shared on X, adding, “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 added in his post.
According to Deadline, Landon’s exit from the horror movie franchise comes after Melissa Barrera was fired from the film due to her social media posts on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
After Barrera was dropped from the cast for the seventh installment of the horror series, Landon posted he was not the one to blame for her exit. The post was later deleted.
Owing to a shooting schedule, Jenna Ortega was also confirmed as not reprising her role in the franchise a day later.
After receiving criticism on social media for removing Barrera from ‘Scream VII’, Spyglass Media issued a statement outlining their justifications.
“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,” read a statement from the studio.
Barrera subsequently broke her silence, as she condemned anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, saying,” I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people.”
Barrera revealed she felt “the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need”, reported Deadline.
