Taking over from the previous film’s co-writer and director, Kevin Williamson, Poker Face showrunners Lilla and Nora Zuckerman are to write Scream 8. Despite scathing reviews, Scream 7's mix of nostalgia, gore and sheer brand familiarity has made it one of 2026’s horror hits. Immediately after, Spyglass Media began making noises about a sequel, and ... Scream 8 | The showrunners of Poker Face to write slasher sequel
Taking over from the previous film’s co-writer and director, Kevin Williamson, Poker Face showrunners Lilla and Nora Zuckerman are to write Scream 8.
Despite scathing reviews, Scream 7's mix of nostalgia, gore and sheer brand familiarity has made it one of 2026’s horror hits.
Immediately after, Spyglass Media began making noises about a sequel, and it’s now been announced who will write it: Lilla and Nora Zuckerman.
The pair are currently best known for their TV work, having served as showrunners and exec producers on Rian Johnson’s Poker Face comedy mystery series (mystedy?), Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Their appointment marks something of a shift for the franchise, given that Kevin Williamson was making positive noises about returning to write and perhaps direct Scream 8.
In early March 2026, not long after Scream 7's release, Williamson, who stepped in to co-write and direct the sequel during a fraught production, said he had “lots of ideas” for an eighth film in the slasher saga.
“When you’re sitting on the set at 3 in the morning, you’re like, ‘Well, what would Scream 8 be about?’ And you just start spit-balling,” Williamson said. “And Neve [Campbell]had this great idea, and everyone seemed to run with it. So yeah, if this movie works and people want it, we’re here for the fans. So, if they want it, we’ll certainly give it to them.”
Williamson’s involvement in the franchise is longstanding, having previously written the 1997 original, its first sequel and Scream 4, all directed by Wes Craven. His return for Scream 8 would have made sense, then, especially given audiences had turned up for his first crack at directing an entry himself.
Less than two weeks later however, Williamson rowed back on his earlier comments.
“Not Scream, no,” Williamson told the Hello Sidney podcast on the 12th March. “I want to direct another film that I had written that is just waiting for me to find the time to direct. And right now, I’m working on a couple TV shows that I’m really excited about. So maybe I’ll direct one of those – who knows? For the next Scream, I’ll probably step back and just be a part of the family again.”
Will the Zuckerman sisters base their script on Wiliamson and Neve Campbell’s three-in-the-morning sequel ideas, or come up with something wholly original? Whatever they write, Scream 8 will also need a new director. It’s probably safe to say that Christopher Landon won’t be keen on the idea.
More on this as it comes in.
