(Image: Paramount Pictures)
Christopher Landon, the director of the "Happy Death Day" franchise whose new film "Drop" arrives this Friday, was originally set to helm "Scream 7" two years ago. However, after star Melissa Barrera was fired for her pro-Palestine advocacy, which the studio deemed antisemitic, her on-screen sister Jenna Ortega also chose to depart in her absence. A disheartened Landon soon made the same decision.
At the time, Landon's stated reasons for leaving were not specific. While he hinted in a post that his exit was related to Barrera's firing, he never explicitly confirmed it. Now, in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Landon has finally set the record straight.
(Image: Universal Pictures)
Landon explained that his involvement with "Scream 7" became a dark and unsettling experience, as his life was even threatened. "People were threatening to kill me and my family, and the FBI got involved," he revealed. He recounted receiving a direct message that said, "I'm going to find your children, and I'm going to kill them because you support the killing of children." Landon described the threats as highly aggressive and genuinely frightening, requiring review from security heads at various studios and the FBI.
(Image: Paramount Pictures)
The people threatening Landon were apparently anti-Israel individuals who were furious about Barrera's firing and mistakenly believed Landon was responsible. "I didn't fire her," Landon clarified, explaining that many people thought he was involved, but the decision was not his to make and he had no control over the situation. He suggested that because fans don't understand the hierarchy and inner workings of Hollywood, they naturally assumed, "He must have done it," and directed their anger at him.
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Overwhelmed by the harassment, Landon decided to resign. "They wanted me to stay on," he said. "They were basically like, 'You can reconceive it. You can figure it out.'" However, facing an immense amount of abuse, he decided it was no longer worth the effort. "It wasn't worth it to me. I'd rather put my energy into something else that I felt appreciated and respected in." He lamented that the "hate and vitriol" ruined everything and left him disheartened, while also admitting it was painful to lose a job he had dreamed of.
(Image: IMDb)
Landon also recalled his unique connection to the "Scream" franchise. Long before the first film was made, he read the script for "Scream" as an intern at a production company. He enthusiastically convinced his boss to acquire it, and the company indeed bought the rights, beginning development with original screenwriter Kevin Williamson. Landon remembers attending script meetings and even driving Williamson, who didn't have a car at the time, around town. Because of this history, landing the directing job for the seventh installment felt like a "full circle" moment for him.
Now that the directing and writing duties for "Scream 7" have been handed back to Williamson, Landon is confident the franchise is in the best hands, as Williamson knows its essence better than anyone.
(Image: Amblin Entertainment)
In addition to exiting "Scream 7," Landon has also stepped away from writing and directing another well-known horror-comedy IP: the remake of "Arachnophobia." Landon, who initially joined the project in 2022, has now personally confirmed he is no longer involved, and the studio has since canceled the production. He explained that his departure was due to classic creative differences; the studio became "very nervous" about a particular element in the script, and he was unwilling to compromise or make a change that would feel like selling out.
In a separate interview with The Wrap, Landon elaborated on one of the elements that made the studio nervous. His version of the story involved spiders laying eggs inside human bodies, featuring significant body horror and a much larger scale. This, in turn, led to a substantial budget increase, which was one of the reasons the studio got cold feet as production neared.
Landon considers his "Arachnophobia" remake script one of the best he's ever written but emphasized that his split with the studio was amicable and without conflict.
via： Vanity Fair The Wrap