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‘Scream VII’ Director Quits ‘Dream Job’ After Film ‘Turned Into a Nightmare’ on December 24, 2023 at 12:35 am Us Weekly

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Scream VII has lost yet another member of the filmmaking team with director Christopher Landon announcing his departure.

“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” Landon, 48, shared via X (formerly known as Twitter) on Saturday, December 23. “This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone.”

He continued, “But it’s time to move on. I have nothing more to add to the conversation other than I hope Wes [Anderson’s] legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world. What he and Kevin [Williamson] created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow.”

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Landon, known for his involvement with Happy Death Day and Freaky, was set to succeed Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, who directed Scream V and Scream VI.

Related: ‘Scream’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

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The horror genre hasn’t been the same since Ghostface asked Drew Barrymore that question in 1996. Three sequels and one TV spinoff later, the Scream franchise isn’t going anywhere. The first Scream film debuted in December, a month usually reserved for awards contenders and family-friendly holiday fare. Even so, it became a runaway hit, and […]

Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin revived the franchise nearly a decade after the fourth Scream was released, introducing new protagonists Sam and Tara Carpenter, played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, respectively. However, both actresses have exited the Scream franchise in recent weeks.

Ortega, 21, left due to filming conflicts with Netflix’s Wednesday season 2 and reshoots for Beetlejuice 2. Her scheduling issues were reported days after Barrera, 33, was fired from the franchise.

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Barrera was let go after vocalizing her support for Palestine amid the conflict with Israel. Variety reported last month that resharing posts that accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” and distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry” led to her being dismissed.

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Production company Spyglass Media Group, who is behind the newer Scream films, subsequently denied that Barrera’s pro-Palestine comments caused the decision.

Related: Boo! Every Star Who’s Put on the Ghostface Mask in the ‘Scream’ Movies

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A scary movie icon! While the original Scream premiered in 1996, many stars have taken on the role of Ghostface in the franchise’s many sequels. The masked murderer, who later became known as Ghostface, made their first appearance in the inaugural slasher film. The first movie follows Sidney Prescott — who is played by Neve […]

“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” their statement read.

Barrera denied violating their rules on hate speech. “First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia,” Barrera wrote via her Instagram Story on November 22. “I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people.”

The actress noted that “as a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard,” adding that she has tried to use her celebrity status as a way to “raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need.”

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Related: Stars Who Were Fired From Jobs

From fast food to newspaper delivery, find out what gigs the stars loathed

“Every person on this earth — regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status — deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom,” Barrera continued. “I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism.”

Meanwhile, Landon responded to Barrera’s firing in a since-deleted post via X on November 21, writing, “This is my statement: Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”

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Scream VII does not yet have a release date.

Michael Tullberg/Getty Images Scream VII has lost yet another member of the filmmaking team with director Christopher Landon announcing his departure. “I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago,” Landon, 48, shared via X (formerly known as Twitter) on Saturday, December 23. “This will 

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This ‘Too Small’ Christmas Movie Turned an $18M Gamble Into a Half‑Billion Classic

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Studios almost left this Christmas staple on the cutting‑room floor. Executives initially saw it as a “small” seasonal comedy with limited box‑office upside, and internal budget fights kept the project hovering in limbo around an $18 million price tag.

The fear was simple: why spend real money on a kid‑driven holiday film that would vanish from theaters by January?

That cautious logic aged terribly. Once released, the movie exploded past expectations, pulling in roughly $475–$500 million worldwide and camping at the top of the box office for weeks.

That’s a return of more than 25 times its production budget, putting it among the most profitable holiday releases in modern studio history.

What some decision‑makers viewed as disposable seasonal content quietly became a financial engine that still prints money through re‑runs, streaming, and merchandising every December.

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The story behind the numbers is part of why fans feel so attached to it. This was not a four‑quadrant superhero bet with guaranteed franchise upside; it was a character‑driven family comedy built on specific jokes, one child star, and a very particular vision of Christmas chaos. The fact that it nearly got shelved—and then turned into a half‑billion global phenomenon—makes every rewatch feel like a win against studio risk‑aversion.

When you press play each year, you are not just revisiting nostalgia; you are revisiting the rare moment when a “small” movie out‑performed the system that almost killed it.

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Anne Hathaway Just Turned Her Instagram Bio Into a 2026 Release Calendar

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Anne Hathaway has quietly confirmed that 2026 is going to be her year, and she did it in the most Anne way possible: with a soft-launch in her Instagram bio.

Instead of a traditional studio announcement, the Oscar-winning actor updated her profile text with a simple list of titles and dates, effectively revealing a four-film run that reads like a mini festival of her work spread across the year.

For fans, the bio now doubles as a watchlist, mapping out exactly when they will see her next on the big screen.

According to the update, Hathaway will kick off 2026 with “Mother Mary,” slated for an April release. The film, backed by A24, casts her as a fictional pop star in a psychological, music‑driven drama that has already started building buzz through early trailer drops and stills. Positioned in the spring, it sets the tone for a year where Hathaway leans hard into challenging, high‑concept material while still anchoring major studio projects.

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Just weeks later, she pivots from pop icon to fashion-world nostalgia with “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” now dated for May 1, 2026. The sequel brings her back as Andy Sachs, returning to the universe that helped define her mid‑2000s stardom and remains a staple in meme culture and rewatches. For millennials who grew up quoting the original, the firm release date signals that the long-rumored follow‑up is no longer hypothetical—it’s locked in, with Hathaway front and center.

The cast: Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Meryl Streep
The devil wears Prada

Summer belongs to “The Odyssey,” marked for July 17, 2026. Billed as an ambitious, big‑screen reimagining of the classic tale, the project reunites Hathaway with large‑scale, auteur‑driven filmmaking and promises mythic stakes, prestige casting, and blockbuster spectacle. Its prime July slot suggests confidence from the studio and positions Hathaway as a key face of the 2026 summer season, not just a supporting player in someone else’s tentpole.

Hathaway at the 2007 Deauville American Film Festival

Finally, Hathaway’s bio points to “Verity,” arriving October 2, 2026, rounding out the year with a dark, suspense‑driven turn. Adapted from a hit thriller novel, the film casts her in a psychologically intense role that leans into obsession, secrets, and unreliable narratives—terrain that plays to her ability to toggle between vulnerability and menace in a single scene. Coming at the start of awards season, “Verity” also gives her a potential late‑year prestige vehicle after a run of crowd‑pleasing releases.

What makes this reveal so striking is the casualness of it. In one short line, Hathaway essentially published a studio slate: four movies, four distinct genres, and a timeline that keeps her on screens from spring through fall. For Hollywood, it underlines her staying power as a true marquee name; for fans, it’s an invitation to mark their calendars and prepare for a year where Anne Hathaway isn’t just part of the conversation—she is the conversation.

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Colombia’s ‘Doll’ Arrest: Police Say a 23-Year-Old Orchestrated Hits, Including Her Ex’s Murder

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Authorities in Colombia say Karen Julieth Ojeda Rodríguez, 23, known as “La Muñeca” (“The Doll”), was arrested in early December on allegations she coordinated contract killings for the Los de la M gang and helped set up the murder of her ex-boyfriend in July. Police reported seizing a 9mm pistol and a revolver during the operation and are testing the weapons against recent homicides in Barrancabermeja, a city battered by drug-war killings this year.

What police allege

Investigators describe Ojeda Rodríguez as a youthful face with a senior role: not a trigger-puller, but a coordinator who relayed orders to sicarios, managed target selection, and handled logistics for a network tied to drug trafficking and extortion in Santander. They say she rose quickly within Los de la M, operating in hot spots like Barrancabermeja and Piedecuesta, where rivalries over territory and revenue have fueled violence.

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The July killing at the center

Prosecutors allege she lured her ex-boyfriend, Deyvy Jesús García Palomino (“Orejas”), to a rural meeting on July 23 under the guise of settling a money dispute. When he arrived, two shooters on a motorcycle attacked at close range; he later died at the hospital. Investigators point to recovered messages to argue the meetup was a setup arranged in advance, and they claim she and an accomplice received roughly 4 million pesos—about $1,000—for the hit.

The December takedown

Police announced her capture following a targeted early-December sweep, framing it as a blow to Los de la M’s homicide pipeline.

Alongside Ojeda Rodríguez, officers detained an alleged accomplice known as “Gorda Sicaria” who purportedly passed orders to gunmen, and a man identified as “Leopoldo.”

Forensic tests on the seized weapons aim to link the guns to crime scenes amid a year marked by more than a hundred killings in Barrancabermeja, according to media cited by authorities.

A clear timeline

Why the case resonates

The contrast between the “Doll” moniker and the accusations of top-level murder coordination has fueled global attention, while the intimate ex-partner setup adds a personal dimension to an already combustible gang narrative. Authorities caution that ballistic and judicial proceedings are ongoing, but they characterize the arrests as a significant hit to a group blamed for a wave of killings in the region.

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