Ghostface OG Star Matthew Lillard Fears He Could Spoil the Series with the Seventh Installment.

The long-awaited horror film Scream 7 is scheduled to debut in theaters in the coming year, and it is preparing for a massive family reunion. This latest installment marks the iconic comeback of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, following her absence from the previous film. She will, per tradition, be alongside Courtney Cox as reporter Gail Weathers, but they aren't the only beloved characters making a comeback.

"Returning to a character you played in your mid-20s when you're 55 was a challenge that kept me up at night," Lillard admits.

A Triumphant Return for Fallen Characters

It has been established that a trio of different characters from earlier films are set to return in this latest sequel, even though dying in prior movies. The exact mechanism of their resurrection remains a mystery. Fans should get ready for the return of the endearing and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the filmmaker and Scream 3 antagonist Roman Bridger, and a member of the first film's killer pair, Stu Macher.

The Pressure of Iconic Status

For Matthew Lillard, reprising his role in the series for the first time since a small cameo is a long-held wish, though he is terrified about the audience response. The actor vividly recalls the precise instant he got the news from the series creator.

"I recall the conversation. I recall the small talk. I recall him asking. That moment is permanently etched on my psyche," he says. "Therefore I'm really proud to be back. I'm really excited to be back."

Stu Macher has achieved cult status in the years since the original film premiered, which made Lillard feeling very nervous.

"Truthfully, that's a role that is infamous, like it or not," he notes. "A character that is now embodied in each and every Scream mask that appears every Halloween."

The Fear of Disappointing the Fandom

Now that filming has wrapped, Lillard is waiting like the rest of us to see the final product. He admits to feeling significant anxiety about hoping not to be the one who ruins the popular franchise.

"The outcome is either a success and people are excited to have you, or it's a miss," Lillard observes. "At the start, I don't know if the movie's be successful. I don't know if people are eager to see me. I've definitely seen plenty of people state and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they returning to this idea?' So the reality is that I feel a lot of responsibility to not mess up the franchise. I hope people leaving Scream 7 and saying, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the reason.'"

Speculation and Anticipation Abound

While countless dedicated fans are excited for Stu's reappearance, the central mystery of how he and the others come back persists. Maybe they exist rent-free in Sidney's consciousness, similar to a prior storyline. Or, maybe they are in some way still living in a bizarre shared situation. The chance of a meta-horror narrative, inspired by earlier horror movies, also exists.

Audiences will discover the truth when Scream 7 debuts in theaters.