Spyglass Media and Paramount Pictures wanted to move quickly on Scream 7… then the version of the film they wanted to move quickly on crumbled piece by piece. Scream (2022) and Scream VI directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are finishing work on their Universal Monsters movie Abigail (formerly known as Dracula’s Daughter), so with returning writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick working on the script, the companies hired Freaky and Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon to direct the film and started reaching out to actors. Jenna Ortega allegedly wanted a substantial pay raise to reprise the role of Tara Carpenter… and as we saw when Neve Campbell dropped out of Scream VI due to a pay dispute, these pay issues don’t tend to work out. So Ortega was out, but Melissa Barrera was on board to come back as Tara’s sister Samantha. Until she was fired from the project after comments she made about the Israel-Hamas war didn’t go over well with executives at Spyglass. Soon after, Landon left the project, saying what had been a dream job had turned into a nightmare. (He has since set up a werewolf thriller called Big Bad.) Now the script has been reworked, Spyglass and Paramount have apparently reached out to Neve Campbell, and rumors are spreading about another director being in the running to take the helm.
An “insider” has informed In Touch Weekly that “Neve is definitely considering returning. She loves the franchise and wants to go back, but on her terms.” So at this point, it seems the powers-that-be may be willing to pay Campbell her asking price in an effort to salvage Scream 7. Campbell recently had to cancel a March convention appearance because she’ll be filming something that month, stirring up speculation that Scream 7 might be getting rushed into production that soon.
Meanwhile, YouTuber Craven Something Scary has heard that John Hyams may be the frontrunner to land the directing job. Hyams’ previous credits include Universal Soldier: Regeneration, Dragon Eyes, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Alone, and episodes of Z Nation, Black Summer, and Chucky. He was also attached to direct a Maniac Cop remake that never made it into production. What really makes Hyams stand out as a potential Scream director is the fact that he worked with original Scream writer Kevin Williamson on the slasher movie Sick. Hyams would be a great choice, but apparently he has competition from “a female director” that has so far gone unnamed.
Would you like to see a Scream 7 that’s directed by John Hyams and stars Neve Campbell? Share your thoughts on this possibility by leaving a comment below.
