Scream 7's New Director Posts A Message For Fans, As Well As Franchise Icons

Ghostface in Scream VI
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

The horror genre has been experiencing a renaissance for a number of years now, to the delight of fans. Some of the best horror movies returned to theaters as a result, including Wes Craven’s Scream. The last two movies came from the filmmakers known at Radio Silence, and were huge box office successes. But a new filmmaker is taking the reins for the upcoming seventh movie: Happy Death Day’s Christopher Landon. And Scream 7’s new director posted a message for fans, as well as franchise icons. Let’s break it all down.

Directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin had big shoes to fill when directing their pair of Scream movies, as they were the first installments of the franchise since Wes Craven’s death. But they succeeded financially, and made a conscious effort to honor Craven’s legacy. Now they’re passing the torch to another acclaimed modern horror filmmaker: Christopher Landon. He took to Twitter to share a message to the fans, Radio Silence, and even creator Kevin Williamson. Check it out below:

Just a big, heart-felt thanks to all the #scream fans for welcoming me into the fold. Horror has been my passion all my life. I promise to do Wes, @TylerGillett and @BettinelliOlpin proud. And of course, a massive shout out to my friend and hero @kevwilliamson LET’S GO!!!!

There you have it. It looks like Landon is ready to put his own spin on the beloved slasher property, and scare audiences with another Ghostface massacre. And just like his predecessors, he’s also a huge fan of Scream himself. Now bring on the scares!

Landon’s tweet is sure to make Scream fans happy, especially those (like me) who were originally bummed that Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin weren’t returning for a third movie. But he was sure to mention both them and Kevin Williamson while sharing how excited he is to be making his franchise debut with Scream 7. Now the question is: what exactly does he have up his sleeve ?

Scream VI broke records for the franchise, so it’s clear that moviegoers are invested in the property– even without Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott. And as such, Christopher Landon is seemingly set up for success with his developing seventh movie. Although there are countless questions about the contents of the mysterious slasher.

Nothing is known about Scream 7 besides Landon’s involvement, and there are definitely plenty of fan questions. If the new sequel is trying to start production ASAP, I’m concerned that Jenna Ortega’s busy Wednesday schedule might prevent her from playing Tara Carpenter again. I’m also curious to see if more legacy characters return, as the Radio Silence guys teased they had more ideas of that nature. Hopefully we get some more information sooner rather than later.

The last two Scream movies are currently available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.  

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.