After Leaving ‘Scream 7,’ Christopher Landon Directed An 89% Fresh Thriller Which Comes Out This Friday

Towards the end of 2023, the next chapter in the Scream franchise was in turmoil.

Scream 7 lost its two newest stars in November of 2023 when Melissa Barrera was controversially fired and Jenna Ortega exited the project the very next day (reportedly due to scheduling, but actually because of everything “falling apart“).

Then in December, Christopher Landon—who had taken over directing duties a few months earlier after the previous directors declined to return—announced that he’d also left Scream 7 “weeks ago.” It truly seemed like a terrible situation for everyone involved.

As Christopher Landon put it in a pair of tweets from December 23rd, “It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare.” But hopefully there is a happy ending for everyone (or, at least for the people who were wronged in this situation).

In their post-Scream lives, Melissa Barrera has since starred in a couple of highly entertaining movies in Your Monster and Abigail, and Jenna Ortega’s star continues to rise with movies like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Death of a Unicorn. Now it’s Christopher Landon’s turn to prosper after his encounter with Scream.

‘Drop’ Is Christopher Landon’s Next Movie As A Director

In February of 2024, it was announced that Christopher Landon’s first project as a director after almost directing a Scream movie would be a thriller titled Drop. More than a year after that announcement, Drop releases in theaters across North America on April 11th, 2025.

The film stars Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus) as Violet, a widowed mother who goes on a date for the first time in a very long while. During the date, she receives a series of anonymous AirDrop messages (called “digiDrops” in the movie) that give her increasingly sinister instructions. If she fails to do what she’s told, or if she calls for help, then Violet’s sister and son will be killed.

If you’ve been to see a thriller or horror movie in a theater within the past six months, chances are that you’ve seen the trailer for Drop. It’s been marketed well, and the reactions from critics are positive so far. As of this writing it sits at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Some of the more enticing quotes from critics include Drop being “an engaging Hitchcockian thriller” (Anthony O’Connor from FILMINK), and that is a “propulsive, infectious tribute to Wes Craven’s Red Eye” (Meagan Navarro from Bloody Disgusting). Leaving a franchise co-created by Wes Craven and then making a movie that feels like a tribute to the iconic director? Now I’m interested.

Good Things Now And In The Future

Not only is Drop poised to be a success for Christopher Landon, but his name also popped up recently in news about Happy Death Day 3. The original Happy Death Day from 2017 is one of Landon’s most beloved films, and it was revealed by star Jessica Rothe (and confirmed by Landon) that the long-awaited finale to the trilogy is “moving forward.” There’s no more information than that, but it’s still good news for fans of the franchise, and for fans of Christopher Landon.

So, it looks like the people who “moved on” from Scream 7 are doing just fine. With Drop releasing in just a few days and with Happy Death Day 3 moving forward, I have more trust in Christopher Landon’s upcoming projects than I do in the next installment of Scream (and this is coming from someone who loves the Scream franchise). Here’s hoping for a solid opening weekend for Drop and continued success in the future.

Drop opens exclusively in theaters on April 11, 2025. Some cities have screenings as early as April 9th, so be sure to check you local theaters.