Scream VII Director Christopher Landon Denies Responsibility for Melissa Barrera's Departure
Director Christopher Landon clarifies that the decision to remove Melissa Barrera from ‘Scream VII’ was not made by him, amidst controversy surrounding her comments on the Israel-Palestine conflict
Christopher Landon and Melissa Barrera. Getty Images (2)
Director Christopher Landon of Scream VII wants to clarify that he was not responsible for the decision to fire Melissa Barrera. Landon, 48, made a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, November 22, expressing his dissatisfaction with the situation before deleting the post, as reported by Deadline.
Shortly after news of Barrera, 33, being removed from the upcoming Scream film due to her remarks about the Israel-Palestine conflict broke, there was a swift response on social media. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she had written on her Instagram Stories about Gaza being treated as a concentration camp, with people being cornered without access to essentials like electricity and water. She also commented that this was reminiscent of past historical atrocities and that people were silently observing a genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Variety's report on Barrera re-sharing posts accusing Israel of "genocide and ethnic cleansing" and distorting "the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry" resulted in her termination. Spyglass Media Group, the production company responsible for the latest Scream films, refuted claims that Barrera's pro-Palestine comments influenced their decision.
The Global Premiere of 'Scream VI' was attended by Devyn Nekoda, Liana Liberato, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, and Courteney Cox on March 6, 2023, in New York City. The event was hosted by Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group, with the attendees posing for photos at the prestigious occasion. (Image courtesy of Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
“Spyglass’ position is absolutely clear: we completely reject antisemitism and the encouragement of hatred in any form, including false mentions of genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion, or any speech that blatantly crosses the line into hate speech,” they told Variety. Barrera has not yet commented publicly on the situation. She first appeared in the Scream franchise in 2022 as Sam Carpenter, who, along with her sister Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), begins to be threatened by a masked killer known as Ghostface.
Sam seeks assistance from the original Scream cast members, including Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), and Dewey Riley (David Arquette), due to their past encounters with Ghostface. (Campbell, 50, later departed prior to the sixth film after turning down the studio’s salary proposal.)
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The Scream films, starting with the first release in 1996, have achieved cultural phenomenon status and recently revitalized with Barrera and Ortega, both 21 years old, leading the way. Barrera commended directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett for their role in reviving the franchise before her departure.
"The same team is returning to their roles behind the scenes. With the fifth movie being the first without the late director Wes Craven, there was a lot of pressure to honor his legacy," she exclusively told We in July 2022 before shooting the sixth film. "They wanted to create something that still felt familiar but also had their own unique touch. Now they're adding more of their own flavor to it and it just feels even scarier."
