Who Should Direct Scream 7?

Highlights

John Hyams, known for directing horror films like "Alone" and "Sick," is a potential candidate to direct Scream 7.
Eli Roth, known for "Thanksgiving," is also a potential candidate, but he may be busy with the sequel to his film.
Robert Rodriguez, with his connections to the Scream franchise, could be a meta choice as the director of Scream 7.

Scream 7 is currently in pre-production with a lot of uncertainty facing it after a lot of highly publicized upheaval for the cast and crew for the upcoming horror sequel by Paramount. It all started with the directors of Scream (2022) and Scream 6, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, deciding not to return to direct Scream 7 with their schedules being full of upcoming projects. They have remained on board as executive producers. However, fans were placated by the hiring of horror maestro, Christopher Landon, giving the upcoming sequel a safe pair of hands to take it forward.

The production faced its biggest hit with the firing of lead actress, Melissa Barrera, after Spyglass objected to her Instagram pro Palestine posts. Without Barrera, it was difficult to see what direction the sequel could take as she was so key to the narrative. More bad news followed when Jenna Ortega exited the project due to a reported pay dispute and an increasingly busy schedule as her star continued to rise. Christopher Landon then exited the project, leaving Scream 7 without a director and its two main stars. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick have been tasked with rewriting the script and rumors have circulated about Neve Campbell possibly returning as the ultimate final girl, Sidney Prescott. But the big question is: Who is going to direct Scream 7?

Ghostface in an empty hallway in Scream (2022)

Scream 7: How Does The Franchise Recover?

While Scream has been a popular horror franchise since the very first movie, the future of Scream 7 is uncertain.

John Hyams

John Hyams is rumored to be in the running to direct Scream 7, and his previous projects suggest he could be the perfect choice to take on the reins of the horror franchise. Hyams directed the underrated horror thriller, Alone in 2020, which was about a recently widowed woman who is kidnapped by a psycho killer, and escapes into the wilderness where she is hunted down and must fight back. It was a tense cat and mouse adrenaline rush of a movie that showed Hyams has the right kind of skills to direct an entry in the Scream franchise.

Hyams further increased his eligibility for a dalliance with Ghostface when he directed the 2022 pandemic slasher, Sick, which was written by original Scream screenwriter, Kevin Williamson. The movie had all the ingredients of a classic Scream movie but with a significant twist by introducing the backdrop of a global pandemic. It was a joyous return to the slasher genre for Williamson, and Hyams took his vision and ran with it. Williamson is an executive producer on the most recent Scream movies, so it's highly likely John Hyams' name has come up in discussions about who would be the right fit for Scream 7, and he certainly possesses the right qualities to create a movie fans want to see.

Eli Roth

Thanksgiving was a massive hit when it was released at the end of 2023, with slasher fans delighting in its brutal kills and whodunit element. This has put Eli Roth's name in the frame as a potential director of Scream 7, as he clearly knows how to serve up scares in this sub-genre. He's been around for many years now, with classic movies like Hostel and Cabin Fever, but Thanksgiving was his first foray into the classic slasher sub-genre, and he succeeded admirably.

Scream 3 alumni, Patrick Dempsey starred in Roth's Thanksgiving, and rumors have circulated that he is in line to return for Scream 7, as the character he portrayed, Mark Kincaid, is married to the original final girl, Sidney Prescott. Despite Roth's credentials, it is unlikely he'll direct Scream 7 as he'll be busy with the sequel to Thanksgiving, which is officially in the works.

Robert Rodriguez

Robert Rodriguez's links to the Scream franchise date back to Scream 2, when his name appeared on the credits of the film within a film, Stab. That's right, in the Scream universe, Rodriguez is the director of the film about the events of the first film, so hiring him to direct Scream 7 would be incredibly meta for a franchise that is known for its postmodern jokes.

But it wouldn't just be a laugh and wink to the audience, as Rodriguez has all the right credentials to make a Scream movie. Despite Rodriguez being credited with shooting the Stab scenes that appeared in Scream 2, he didn't actually work on the movie, but was happy to have his name mentioned as a favor to Wes Craven. He told Inverse in an interview in 2020, when asked about the subject:

Wes is a friend of mine. The great Wes Craven. Such a sweetheart. He did all of that. He asked if he could use my name in there, which I thought was such a great honor. But I didn’t film that. But I got credited for it. I was at the premiere and people were turning to me to go, 'Wow that was amazing!' And I was like, 'Yeah, thanks, but actually, I didn’t shoot it. Wes did.' So Wes did that too, and he kind of did it in a cool exploitation kind of style. He was just a master. So I was very associated with that, but I actually did not shoot it. That's all Wes. I wish I could shoot that. He shot it much better than I would.

Despite Rodriguez not officially working on the Stab scenes, he is more than capable of delivering a kick ass Scream movie, so he should definitely be considered, if he is interested.

In an ideal situation, by the time Scream 7 is ready to start shooting, if Matt Bettinelli Olpin and Tyler Gillett's schedule has cleared up, they would be the ideal candidates to direct the upcoming sequel after doing such a good job with the previous two entries. However, this is highly unlikely as they've already pulled out, so John Hyams would probably be the most likely candidate to take the reins, but it remains unclear if the sequel will feature any returning cast members.

Scream

The Scream movie and TV franchise began with the release of the first film in 1996. Directed by horror master Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the deconstruction of slasher movies was an instant cultural, critical, and financial hit. Neve Campbell, who plays ongoing final girl Sidney Prescott, has become a horror icon in her own right, along with Ghostface, the only horror villain whose identity is always changing. Nearly three decades later, the Scream franchise shows no signs of slowing down.