"It's always someone you know."

This is a universal truth throughout the Scream franchise. There's never been a stranger behind the Ghostface killings, either on camera or behind it. Horror icon Wes Craven directed the original movies, and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (V/H/S, Ready or Not) took over for the farnchise reboot. Now, it's someone else's turn to take a stab, and it's someone horror fans know well.

Christopher Landon, of Happy Death Day fame, will direct Scream VII.

Rumors of Landon's involvement began at Bloody Disgusting, who first reported that Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett would not return for Scream VII after directing both Scream (2021) and Scream VI to widespread acclaim. Hours later, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Landon would helm the seventh installment of the horror whodunit franchise.

Landon's horror bonifides go back a long way, even before Happy Death Day. He served as a writer for five Paranormal Activity movies, then turned to directing for spooky sensations Happy Death Day 2U, Freaky, and Netflix's We Have a Ghost, all of which also credit him as a writer.

Exciting though this update may be, there are still a lot of questions about the next entry into the Scream series. Who will write the film? Will Sidney Prescott return after her notable absence in Scream VI? And for the love of god, is Stu still alive??

With the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, we probably won't have answers to any of these questions for a while. When we do, though, you can bet Popverse will let you know.

Unlike anyone in the Scream franchise, you can trust us.

On second thought, maybe we do have an answer to whether Stu is alive. After all, someone asked Matthew Lillard that question at the Scream reunion at Emerald City Comic Con 2023, and Popverse was livestreaming the event.