‘Scream VII’ director Christopher Landon exits embattled film

Movies

By Jack Hobbs

“Scream VII” has yet another casualty — director Christopher Landon revealed Saturday that he has left the embattled slasher flick.

“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” Landon, 48, wrote on X. “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,” he added.

In a second post, the “Disturbia” writer stated, “I have nothing more to add to the conversation other than I hope Wes [Craven’s] legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world.

“What he and Kevin [Williamson] created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow,” he concluded.

The Post reached out to Landon and reps for Paramount Pictures, which revived the iconic ’90s horror franchise, for comment.

Landon’s exit follows the departures of the film’s leading ladies — Jenna Ortega, 21, and Melissa Barrera, 33.

Barrera was fired after she posted on Instagram about the Israel-Hamas war.

“I too come from a colonized country,” Barrera wrote in October beside a Mexican flag logo.

“Palestine WILL be free,” she added in her caption. “They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds.

“At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include, than be included for who I exclude,” she continued.

In a second post, the “Scream” and “Scream VI” star compared Gaza to a concentration camp.

“Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp,” she wrote. “Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity no water.”

She added: “People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”

Barrera played Sam Carpenter in 2022’s “Scream” alongside Ortega and franchise vets Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell. She reprised her role for “Scream VI,” released in March.

In a since-deleted November tweet, Landon briefly addressed Barrera’s exit.

“This is my statement,” he tweeted alongside a broken-heart emoji. “Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”

In its own statement, production company Spyglass Media Group condemned the “In the Heights” star’s words.

“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear,” the statement read. “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.”

For her part, Ortega cited scheduling conflicts with Netflix’s “Wednesday” for her departure.

The new “Scream” installment was slated to hit theaters in 2025 after being delayed by the actors’ strike.