Christopher Landon (filmmaker)

Early life

Landon was born in Los Angeles and is the son of actor Michael Landon and Lynn Noe. He is the youngest of their four children. 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. whereas his paternal grandmother was Catholic, although his father was raised Jewish.

Career

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. 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. He moved from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, contemplating the future of his career, which he revived only a few years later.

Many of Landon's films deal with gay themes and issues, 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. 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.

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.

Landon's next film was Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015). 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. 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."

Personal life

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. He says that growing up he was called a "faggot" by peers at his high school. His mother, a Christian, refused to accept his sexuality. His stepmother, Cindy Clerico, his father's next wife, told him that both she and his father suspected he was gay.

Landon has a partner, Cody Morris. The couple have two children together.

Filmography

References

References

1. (July 2, 1991). "His Early Days Were Fun". [[Philadelphia Daily News]].
2. Landon Wilson, Cheryl. (1992). "I Promised My Dad: An Intimate Portrait of Michael Landon by His Eldest Daughter". Simon & Schuster.
3. John Griffiths. (December 7, 1999). "Christopher's street – Christopher Landon comes out as gay".
4. Josef Molnar. (April 19, 2007). "Christopher Landon makes the boys scream".
5. Quimberly, Anne. (February 24, 2023). "Meet Out Filmmaker Christopher Landon".
6. Jay A. Fernandez. (September 2013}} and the 2007 television series ''[[Dirty Sexy Money]]'', his first television project, eager to expand his repertoire. He is worked on a screenplay for a film adaption of [[Lisa McMann]]'s young adult novel ''[[Wake (Lisa McMann novel)). "Miley Cyrus attending 'Wake' for Paramount?". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
7. White, James. (February 14, 2021). "''Paranormal Activity'': Will Eubank And Christopher Landon Working On Reboot". Empire.
8. (25 September 2013). "Scout's Honor: 'Paranormal's Christopher Landon Helming 'Boy Scouts vs. Zombies'".
9. (August 2, 2023). "Christopher Landon to Direct 'Scream 7'". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
10. (2023-12-23). "''Scream VII'' Loses Director Christopher Landon: "A Dream Job That Turned Into a Nightmare"".
11. Devore, Britta. (2023-12-23). "Director Christopher Landon Exits ''Scream 7''".
12. "Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity (2021)".
13. Squires, John. (September 18, 2024). "Valentine's Day Slasher Movie 'Heart Eyes' Coming to Theaters in February 2025".
14. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (September 18, 2024). "Sony Has 'Heart Eyes', Sets Winter 2025 Release For Spyglass Horror Rom-Com".