Scream 7 has sparked a lot of controversy during its pre and mid production. Christopher Landon was set to direct the franchise’s seventh installment, however, that is no longer the case. According to Screen Rant, Landon stepped up to the project when the Scream (2022) and Scream 6 directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, could no longer direct due to conflicting schedules. 

Not long after the new director was hired, a main character was fired. Melissa Barrera was the main character in the Scream reboot films playing Billy Loomis’ daughter, Samantha Carpenter. Barrera’s firing came after she made comments about the war in Gaza. Once audiences found out about Barrera’s removal, people looked to Landon to blame. He spoke out about receiving death threats that even threatened his family. The FBI even got involved, he said it was a scary situation. He ultimately decided to step away from the project, even though it was his “dream job” due to the scrutiny he received. He did confirm that he was not the one to fire Barrera but Skyglass Media made the decision. The film is now being directed by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the screenplay for the original Scream (IMDb). 

Jenna Ortega, who played Melissa Barrera’s sister on screen, also stepped away from the seventh film shortly after Barrera’s firing. At first Ortega said that scheduling conflicts were the reason for her departure but that was not the truth. Rolling Stone has quoted Ortega saying “The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart…If Scream Ⅶ wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.” With Barrera and Ortega gone, Neve Campbell will be in the film reprising her role as Sidney Prescott from the original films. 

The film is scheduled to be released on February 26, 2026.