This year’s Scream VI was a commercial and critical hit full of thrills and surprises, proving that rebooting the franchise could continue the story's relevance and bring the iconic franchise to new audiences. With plans for Scream VII already underway, it has now been officially announced that the next movie will be directed by Christopher Landon. If you're unfamilIar with Landon's work or simply want to learn everything you can about the upcoming Scream movie's director, here's what you need to know and why this is an exciting development for the franchise's future.
Passing the knife: Why aren't Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett directing Scream VII?
The announcement of a new director for Scream VII may surprise some fans because both Scream (2022) and Scream VI were directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett. The duo brought a fresh take on the franchise when they developed their meta-Scream reboot in 2022 – but they are now lending their directorial talent to another horror franchise. The duo is currently set to direct a currently untitled Universal Monsters film with Giancarlo Esposito attached. While that movie remains mysterious, that has opened the position of director up for Scream VII – which has now been filled by Christopher Landon.
Having worked on many recognizable Hollywood horror movies over the last decade, here’s what you need to know about the writer and director, Christopher Landon.
Horror writer, director & producer: Who is Christopher Landon?
Christopher Landon will be best known to horror fans as the screenwriter for five movies in the Paranormal Activity franchise – including Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, which he also directed. Outside of the genuinely terrifying supernatural horror movies, he also has experience in satirical horror movies like the zombie comedy movie Scouts Guide to Zombie Apocalypse and the comedy slasher Freaky, both of which he wrote and directed.
Fans of the genre will also know him as the writer and director of Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U, both of which retain elements of classic slashers while also working in dark humor and science fiction. The Happy Death Day was praised by critics for its inventive storytelling while also becoming a hit with audiences. Notably, Happy Death Day also displays Landon's interest in meta-commentary about filmmaking and genre – something that is synonymous with the Scream franchise thanks to the masterful writer/director Wes Craven.
Will Landon be writing the screenplay for Scream 7?
The return of the Scream franchise has been massively successful with the release of Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023). Both of those movies were written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, and the pair have proved a winning combination. But with the confirmation of Landon as director, it may be that he also takes on screenwriting duties. As a filmmaker, he has yet to direct a movie that he has not written himself so it seems plausible that he would take a screenwriting credit. That being said, Vanderbilt and Busick have penned back-to-back hit movies in the Scream franchise and are expected to still be involved.
What else do we know about Scream 7 so far?
While Landon’s involvement is the only confirmation we have right now about Scream VII, fans can expect some things to carry over from the success of Scream VI. That certainly includes some of the key cast members such as Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown. Fans will be hoping that these four – who made up the core of the last movie – will return for another adventure, especially after some of the revelations at the end of Scream VI.
Scream VII is currently in development but the movie does not have an official release date yet. While we anxiously wait on the edge of our seats for the next instalment, Scream VI and the rest of the Scream franchise is available to stream on Paramount+.