Franchise vet Matthew Lillard has finally opened up about his highly-anticipated Scream 7 return after nearly three decades since starring in the first installment. Lillard will be reprising his iconic role as Stu Macher, who was one of the slasher franchise’s original Ghostface killers.
What did Matthew Lillard say about his Scream 7 return?
During a recent panel appearance, Lillard admitted that he’s actually feeling “slightly terrified” of his return as Stu Macher in Scream 7. He hopes that his character’s long-awaited return would match the fans’ expectations since he doesn’t want to “screw up” the franchise’s legacy.
“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,” Lillard shared. “I could really suck, and so that’s my fear. 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.”
Scream 7 will be led by franchise vets Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox as they reprise their respective fan-favorite roles as Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers. Just like Lillard, David Arquette and Scott Foley are also returning as Dewey Riley and Roman Bridger, despite their characters’ respective deaths in 2022’s Scream and 2000’s Scream 3. In addition, it has also been confirmed that Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Mindy Meeks-Martin and Mason Gooding’s Chad Meeks-Martin are also appearing in the next sequel.
Franchise newcomers Isabel May (1883), Celeste O’Connor (Madame Web), Asa Germann (The Boys: Gen V), and Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), Joel McHale (Community), Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), Mark Consuelos (Riverdale), Ethan Embry (Grace & Frankie), Sam Rechner (The Fabelmans), Michelle Randolph (Landman), and Jimmy Tatro (Theater Camp) have also joined the project. The seventh installment is being directed by franchise creator Kevin Williamson from a screenplay written by Guy Busick. It is produced by Paul Neinstein, William Sherak, and James Vanderbilt.
The movie is currently slated to arrive in theaters on February 27, 2026.
(Source: People)
