🔗 Share this article Scream Original Star Matthew Lillard Fears He Could Spoil the Series with the Seventh Installment. The long-awaited slasher sequel Scream 7 is set to arrive in theaters in the coming year, and it is preparing for a major gathering of familiar faces. This new chapter marks the iconic comeback of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, following her absence from the last entry. She will, per tradition, be alongside Courtney Cox as journalist Gail Weathers, but they won't be the only fan-favorite characters making a comeback. "Coming back to a character you portrayed in your mid-20s when you're in your fifties was a daunting task that kept me up at night," the actor admits. A Triumphant Comeback for Fallen Favorites It has been established that a trio of different characters from past films are set to return in this latest sequel, despite dying in previous installments. The precise method of their resurrection remains a mystery. Audiences should get ready for the return of the endearing and nearly unkillable cop Dewey Riley, the director and Scream 3 antagonist Roman Bridger, and a member of the first film's murderous duo, Stu Macher. The Pressure of Legendary Legacy For Matthew Lillard, returning to the series for the first time since a small cameo is a dream come true, even if he is terrified about the audience response. The actor vividly recalls the exact moment he received the offer from the original writer. "I remember the conversation. I recall the pleasantries. I recall him asking. That moment is permanently etched on my mind," he states. "So I'm incredibly honored to be back. I'm thrilled to be back." Stu Macher has achieved cult status in the years since the original film was released, which made Lillard feeling quite trepidatious. "The reality is, that's a part that lives in infamy, like it or not," he notes. "A part that is now embodied in every single Ghostface mask that walks around every October 31st." The Anxiety of Letting Down the Fans Now that production has wrapped, Lillard is waiting as everyone else to see the final product. He confesses to feeling immense anxiety about hoping not to be the one who ruins the popular franchise. "It's either a success and people are excited to have you, or it's a fail," Lillard points out. "Going into it, I don't know if the movie's be successful. I don't know if people want to see me. I've certainly seen plenty of people state and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they going back to this idea?' So the truth is that I feel a lot of responsibility to not mess up the series. I don't want people exiting Scream 7 and thinking, 'Well, that sucked, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'" Theories and Anticipation Run High While countless longtime fans are excited for Stu's return, the big question of how he and the others return remains. Maybe they exist as manifestations in Sidney's mind, like a previous plot device. Alternatively, perhaps they are somehow all alive in a strange shared situation. The chance of a self-referential story, reminiscent of earlier genre films, also exists. Moviegoers will discover the answer when Scream 7 arrives in theaters.
The long-awaited slasher sequel Scream 7 is set to arrive in theaters in the coming year, and it is preparing for a major gathering of familiar faces. This new chapter marks the iconic comeback of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, following her absence from the last entry. She will, per tradition, be alongside Courtney Cox as journalist Gail Weathers, but they won't be the only fan-favorite characters making a comeback. "Coming back to a character you portrayed in your mid-20s when you're in your fifties was a daunting task that kept me up at night," the actor admits. A Triumphant Comeback for Fallen Favorites It has been established that a trio of different characters from past films are set to return in this latest sequel, despite dying in previous installments. The precise method of their resurrection remains a mystery. Audiences should get ready for the return of the endearing and nearly unkillable cop Dewey Riley, the director and Scream 3 antagonist Roman Bridger, and a member of the first film's murderous duo, Stu Macher. The Pressure of Legendary Legacy For Matthew Lillard, returning to the series for the first time since a small cameo is a dream come true, even if he is terrified about the audience response. The actor vividly recalls the exact moment he received the offer from the original writer. "I remember the conversation. I recall the pleasantries. I recall him asking. That moment is permanently etched on my mind," he states. "So I'm incredibly honored to be back. I'm thrilled to be back." Stu Macher has achieved cult status in the years since the original film was released, which made Lillard feeling quite trepidatious. "The reality is, that's a part that lives in infamy, like it or not," he notes. "A part that is now embodied in every single Ghostface mask that walks around every October 31st." The Anxiety of Letting Down the Fans Now that production has wrapped, Lillard is waiting as everyone else to see the final product. He confesses to feeling immense anxiety about hoping not to be the one who ruins the popular franchise. "It's either a success and people are excited to have you, or it's a fail," Lillard points out. "Going into it, I don't know if the movie's be successful. I don't know if people want to see me. I've certainly seen plenty of people state and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they going back to this idea?' So the truth is that I feel a lot of responsibility to not mess up the series. I don't want people exiting Scream 7 and thinking, 'Well, that sucked, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'" Theories and Anticipation Run High While countless longtime fans are excited for Stu's return, the big question of how he and the others return remains. Maybe they exist as manifestations in Sidney's mind, like a previous plot device. Alternatively, perhaps they are somehow all alive in a strange shared situation. The chance of a self-referential story, reminiscent of earlier genre films, also exists. Moviegoers will discover the answer when Scream 7 arrives in theaters.