SCREAM 7 Star Matthew Lillard Teases Stu’s Return, Film’s Tone, and Positive Test Shows (Exclusive)
Christopher Landon was originally slated to direct Scream 7and fans responded positively to the news. He found the right balance between horror and comedy in Happy death day And Weirdand caused huge scares with his work on the Paranormal activity series.
However, when the advance of the modern economy Shout The franchise’s Melissa Barrera was unceremoniously fired for weighing in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on social media, the film, in its original form, flopped. Jenna Ortega also walked away and Landon wasn’t too far behind her.
Spyglass Media Group convinced Kevin Williamson (who wrote the first two films and directed the third and fourth installments) to return to Shout for this seventh chapter and enlisted original actors Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Scott Foley and Matthew Lillard to compensate for the absence of Barrera and Ortega.
The first trailer for Scream 7 received a positive response, and all signs point to this next chapter being “classic” Shout. By telling us about his role in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2Lillard, who reprises his role as Stuart “Stu” Macher, opened up about his return to one of his most iconic roles.
“Yeah, they didn’t really have to sell me.” the actor tells us in the video below. “It was one of those things where I got a call from Kevin Williams in the middle of the day while I was taking a long walk, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s weird, he’s calling me. He’s not calling me.’ I had just seen him three weeks earlier, so I picked up and said, “Why are you calling me?” He said, ‘Come back.'”
“It was a shock. I didn’t expect it. He was basically saying, ‘Stu’s not coming back and the franchise doesn’t need Lillard.’ It was so mean! [Laughs] It’s my part. I’ve been on the circuit talking about Stu’s return. It was part of my pattern.”
“[Kevin] I pitched the idea, couldn’t wait to read it and received the script a few weeks later,” Lillard continued. “I think it’s great. Wes [Craven] would be very proud. It’s in line with what the franchise was. I think the franchise was in a great position with this new team. Melissa was fantastic, the boys were great and Radio Silence were fantastic directors.”
Explaining What Fans Can Expect Scream 7he revealed, “Kevin’s take is a little more traditional when it comes to the Scream franchise, and I think people are going to be excited. I hope they are. Early on, testing has exploded, which is exciting. I can’t wait to see what happens.”
Most recent Shout the films did a great job putting the slasher franchise back on the map while focusing on a new cast. However, fans were still eager to see returning faces join them.
With this next installment likely to be heavy on nostalgia, it should hit all the right notes. There’s also a lot of intrigue surrounding the return of these long-dead characters, with Stu’s resurrection being one of the biggest question marks at the moment.
You can learn more about Lillard at Scream 7 in the player below.
When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized when her daughter (Isabel May) becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must confront the horrors of her past to end the bloodshed once and for all.
Joel McHale joins the cast of Scream 7 as Sidney’s husband, Mark Evans. Scott Foley, who played Roman Bridger in Scream 3also returns, alongside franchise veterans Matthew Lillard and David Arquette. As you probably know, their respective characters are dead, so the speculation begins.
They will be joined in the film by Anna Camp, Mark Consuelos, Ethan Embry, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Celeste O’Connor, Sam Rechner, Michelle Randolph and Jimmy Tatro.
Shout original creator and screenwriter Kevin Williamson steps behind the camera for the first time to direct Scream 7. Guy Busick wrote the screenplay, based on a story by Busick and James Vanderbilt.
Scream 7 arrives in theaters on February 27, 2026. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 hits theaters December 5.
