Original Scream 7 directors reveal plans to 'f*** you up' with sequel they never made

Radio Silence had an idea for an "ultra-contained, almost continuous, like minute-to-minute" Scream 7 before leaving the franchise

Mar. 3, 2026 at 12:23am

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In a recent interview, the directors of the latest Scream movie, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence, revealed the plans they had for Scream 7 before departing the franchise. They wanted to take the series in a much darker direction, with an "ultra-contained, almost continuous" sequel that would "f*** you up." However, due to scheduling conflicts, they had to give up the Ghostface mask and instead made the horror film Abigail. The Scream 7 they envisioned never came to fruition.

Why it matters

The directors' comments provide insight into how they wanted to evolve the Scream franchise in a more intense and unsettling direction with Scream 7. Their departure from the series led to changes in the creative team and direction, ultimately resulting in the latest Scream movie that received mixed reviews. This gives fans a glimpse into an alternate timeline where Radio Silence's bold vision for Scream 7 could have played out.

The details

Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, known as the directing duo Radio Silence, had to step away from the Scream franchise due to scheduling conflicts. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, they revealed the plans they had for Scream 7, which they described as an "ultra-contained, almost continuous, like minute-to-minute" sequel that would "f*** you up." The directors wanted to take the series in a much darker direction, in contrast to their approach for Scream VI, which they saw as a "secret feel-good movie." However, they never got to read a draft of Scream 7, as they had already left the project to work on their own horror film, Abigail.

  • In March 2026, Radio Silence directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett revealed their plans for Scream 7 in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

The players

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin

One half of the directing duo Radio Silence, known for reviving the Scream franchise with Scream VI.

Tyler Gillett

The other half of the directing duo Radio Silence, who had plans for a much darker and more intense Scream 7 before departing the franchise.

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What they’re saying

“The thing that we had in our minds for Scream 7 was sort of like, 'How hard can we go with this?' It was the thing that we talked a lot about. For us, it was always this idea of, [if] Scream VI is like a secret feel-good movie, Scream 7's going to fuck you up. That was as much as we ever got to.”

— Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Director, Radio Silence

“Given that we expanded the sort of scope of the story by going to New York, the other thing that we had talked about — just Matt and I, by the way, it wasn't a conversation with the writers — was, 'How do you do the opposite for 7?' Like, shrink it down and make it this like ultra-contained, almost continuous, like minute-to-minute thing.”

— Tyler Gillett, Director, Radio Silence

What’s next

With Radio Silence no longer involved, the future of the Scream franchise remains uncertain. Fans will have to wait and see if the series can recapture the magic of the original films under new creative leadership.

The takeaway

The directors' comments about their plans for a much darker and more intense Scream 7 highlight the creative vision that was lost when they departed the franchise. While the latest Scream movie has found commercial success, the unrealized potential of Radio Silence's bold ideas leaves fans wondering what could have been.