Matthew Lillard's Hesitations About Returning to the 'Scream' Franchise
Scream 7 won't hit theaters until Feb. 27, 2026, but Matthew Lillard is more than happy to talk about his return to the franchise. The 55-year-old actor made a splash in the 1996 original, playing the murderous Stuart ‘Stu’ Macher.
Fans last saw Stu with a TV on his head, thanks to the crafty Scream heroine Sidney, played by Neve Campbell. Lillard's return 30 years later opens the possibility for a classic horror movie twist — and that has him a little stressed out.
"I will say, I can't say anything about it, obviously. But I am very excited and slightly terrified to be back because all I can do is really screw up a legacy that we have," he said at a 90s' Con panel on March 30, via People.
Lillard doesn't want to disappoint the millions of Scream fans who have grown up with the campy franchise. "I could really suck, and so that's my fear," he added. "My fear is that I come back and sort of punish something that I could never have touched and been just fine. I hope I don't f it up for everyone."
Lillard won't be the only familiar face returning to the big screen for the seventh installment, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Scott Foley, and Neve Campbell will be there with him. Franchise creator Kevin Williamson will be back at the helm to direct the project.
While the cast and crew seem thrilled to revisit the story that was such a great success, the plot is being kept under wraps by everyone.
“I’m not supposed to post about Scream, and I hope @spyglassmediagr and @paramountpics will forgive me but when you have one of the best days of your life it’s really hard to keep it to yourself,” Williamson shared on Instagram on Jan. 7. “What an extraordinary day I had working with an amazing and talented cast and crew. They brought their ‘A’ game and had my back every step of the way."
Related: ‘Scream 7’ Actor Teases New Scene That Nearly Made Him Sick