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Director Christopher Landon announced on Saturday that he had “formally” left Knife VII. The announcement comes after stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega dropped out of the affected film.
“I think this is a good time to announce that I am officially out Screaming 7 weeks ago” The director wrote Saturday on X (formerly Twitter). “It will be a disappointment to some and a joy to others. It was a dream job that turned out to be a nightmare. And I'm heartbroken for everyone involved. Everyone. But it's time to go.
“I have nothing else to add to the conversation, and I hope that Wes' legacy will flourish and rise above the noise of a divided world,” he continued in his series of posts. “What he and Kevin created was amazing and I was honored to have even had a moment in their shine.”
Barrera, the lead actress, was fired from the show following her pro-Palestinian posts on social media. Barrera shared an Instagram story denouncing anti-Semitism and vowed to continue speaking out on the issue: “Silence is not an option for me,” he said following his November eviction. Although his departure was announced in November, Barrera was fired shortly after the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7. The Hollywood Reporter. In the days following the conflict, the actress became more vocal in her stance, sharing pro-Palestinian messages, including one titled “Kindness Must Prevail” with President Joe Biden calling for “immediate de-escalation and cease-fire. Gaza.”
“Spyglass' position is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for bigotry or incitement to hatred in any form, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, ethnic cleansing, mass mutilation or anything that openly crosses the line into hate speech,” a Spyglass spokesperson said. In a statement Variety At the time.
Meanwhile, Ortega's departure became public in November at the same time as Barrera's exit, although the decision by Ortega and his representatives came before the summer SAG-AFTRA strike and was not made public until the fall.
Landon, who had been hired before the strike, refused to accept Barrera's ouster after it was announced. “This is my statement: 💔 Everything is boring. Stop yelling,” Landon wrote before deleting the post. “It's not my decision.”
Writer-producer James Vanderbilt — who optioned the reboots and is writing the current script — is currently in the process of rebuilding the franchise following the departure of its lead and director.
