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Christopher Landon (filmmaker)

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For the British novelist and screenwriter, see Christopher Landon (screenwriter).

Christopher Landon
BornChristopher Beau Landon
(1975-02-27) February 27, 1975 (age 49)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationFilmmaker
Alma materLoyola Marymount University
Years active1996–present
ParentsMichael Landon (father)
Relatives

Christopher Beau Landon (born February 27, 1975) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter best known for working in the horror and comedy horror genres.

He has worked as a screenwriter on the thriller Disturbia and most of the films in the Paranormal Activity found-footage horror series. He wrote and directed Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones as well as the horror comedy films Happy Death Day, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Happy Death Day 2U, Freaky, and We Have a Ghost. He wrote and made his directorial debut on the satirical thriller film Burning Palms (2010).

Early life

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Landon was born in Los Angeles and is the son of actor Michael Landon and Lynn Noe. He is the youngest of four children produced by their marriage. His parents divorced in 1980, when he was four years old; he resided with his father until the age of sixteen, when his father died of pancreatic cancer.[1] One of his brothers is Michael Landon Jr., an actor, and one of his half-sisters is Jennifer Landon, an actress. His paternal grandfather was Jewish,[2] whereas his paternal grandmother was Catholic, although his father was raised Jewish.[3]

Career

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Landon, following his father Michael Landon's footsteps in filmmaking, studied screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University, but dropped out three years into the course to pursue a career when film director Larry Clark offered him a writing job after reading one of his scripts.[1] He went on to co-write the script of Another Day in Paradise (1998) with Eddie Little and Stephen Chin. After writing Another Day in Paradise, he came out as gay, aware that homophobia may have harmed his potential in the industry. "I may fall off some list because of my sexuality. But if that happens, then I really don't want to be on that list anyway," he said, speaking of homophobia in Hollywood and the film industry.[1] "I was the flavor of the month, and then I was quickly dismissed. I reached a point in my career when I couldn't get a meeting anywhere."[4] He moved from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, contemplating the future of his career, which he revived only a few years later.[5][4]

Many of Landon's films deal with gay themes and issues[citation needed], including $30, one of five components in Boys Life 3 (2000), a collection of short films dealing with issues faced by young gays, and a spec script about the relationship between a straight man and a gay man.[1] More recently, he has written the screenplays of the 2007 films Blood and Chocolate, The Flock[6] and the acclaimed Disturbia. Disturbia was one of his spec scripts which was brought to Montecito Pictures and subsequently DreamWorks Pictures, and went on to become No. 1 in cinemas upon its release.[4][6] He next worked on The Lesson, a film for DreamWorks[citation needed] and the 2007 television series Dirty Sexy Money, his first television project, eager to expand his repertoire.[5][4] He is worked on a screenplay for a film adaption of Lisa McMann's young adult novel Wake.[citation needed] Landon made his directorial debut with Burning Palms (2010), a ensemble comedic thriller that was very poorly received.[7]

Landon became a creative voice behind the Paranormal Activity film series, writing Paranormal Activity 2 (2010), Paranormal Activity 3 (2011), Paranormal Activity 4 (2012), and Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021). Landon also directed and wrote the franchise spinoff, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, which was released in 2014.[8]

Landon's next film was Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015).[9] He then wrote and directed Viral (2016), Happy Death Day (2017), Happy Death Day 2U (2019), and Freaky (2020).

In August 2023, Landon was announced to direct Scream 7, the seventh installment in the Scream franchise.[10] Landon announced on December 23, 2023, that he was no longer associated with the sequel, saying: "I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it's time to move on."[11][12]

Personal life

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Landon came out as gay in 1999, having only written the script of Another Day in Paradise, unafraid of his sexuality harming his career potential.[1] He says that growing up he was called a "faggot" by peers at his high school.[1] His mother, a Christian, refused to accept his sexuality.[1] His stepmother, Cindy Clerico, his father's next wife, told him that both she and his father suspected he was gay.[1]

Filmography

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Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1998 Another Day in Paradise No Yes No
2000 Boys Life 3 No Yes Yes Segment: "$30"
2007 Blood & Chocolate No Yes No
Disturbia No Yes No
2007–2009 Dirty Sexy Money No Yes Consultant Television series
Writer: 2 episodes
2010 Burning Palms Yes Yes Yes Directorial debut
Paranormal Activity 2 No Yes No
2011 Paranormal Activity 3 No Yes Co-producer
2012 Paranormal Activity 4 No Yes Executive
2014 Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Yes Yes No
2015 Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Yes Yes No
2016 Viral No Yes No
2017 Happy Death Day Yes Uncredited No
2019 Happy Death Day 2U Yes Yes No
2020 Freaky Yes Yes No
2021 Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin No Yes Executive
Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity No No No Documentary film, interview[13]
2022 My Best Friend's Exorcism No No Yes
2023 We Have a Ghost Yes Yes Executive
2024 Time Cut No No Yes
2025 Heart Eyes No Yes Yes [14][15]
Drop Yes No No Completed

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h John Griffiths (December 7, 1999). "Christopher's street – Christopher Landon comes out as gay". The Advocate. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  2. ^ "His Early Days Were Fun". Philadelphia Daily News. July 2, 1991. In a 1985 interview, Landon claimed he ate lunch alone at Collingswood High School, that he never had a date as a teen-ager because no Christian father in the town would allow his daughter to go out with a Jew.
  3. ^ Landon Wilson, Cheryl (1992). I Promised My Dad: An Intimate Portrait of Michael Landon by His Eldest Daughter. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 28.
  4. ^ a b c d Anthony Kaufman (June 21, 2007). "10 Screenwriters to Watch: Christopher Landon". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Josef Molnar (April 19, 2007). "Christopher Landon makes the boys scream". The Advocate. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Pamela McClintock (May 7, 2007). "Landon to lead 'The Flock'". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
  7. ^ Jay A. Fernandez (June 17, 2010). "Miley Cyrus attending 'Wake' for Paramount?". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  8. ^ White, James (February 14, 2021). "Paranormal Activity: Will Eubank And Christopher Landon Working On Reboot". Empire. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  9. ^ "Scout's Honor: 'Paranormal's Christopher Landon Helming 'Boy Scouts vs. Zombies'". Deadline. September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys (August 2, 2023). "Christopher Landon to Direct 'Scream 7'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Kit, Boris; Couch, Aaron (December 23, 2023). "Scream VII Loses Director Christopher Landon: "A Dream Job That Turned Into a Nightmare"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  12. ^ Devore, Britta (December 23, 2023). "Director Christopher Landon Exits Scream 7". Collider. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  13. ^ Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity (2021). Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via www.blu-ray.com.
  14. ^ Squires, John (September 18, 2024). "Valentine's Day Slasher Movie 'Heart Eyes' Coming to Theaters in February 2025". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  15. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 18, 2024). "Sony Has 'Heart Eyes', Sets Winter 2025 Release For Spyglass Horror Rom-Com". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
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