Scream Original Star Matthew Lillard Is Anxious He Could Spoil the Franchise with Scream 7.

The highly anticipated horror film Scream 7 is scheduled to debut in theaters in the coming year, and it is preparing for a major family reunion. This latest installment signals the legendary return of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, after sitting out the last entry. She will, per tradition, be alongside Courtney Cox as reporter Gail Weathers, but they won't be the only fan-favorite characters returning to the fray.

"Coming back to a role you portrayed in your mid-20s when you're in your fifties was a challenge that kept me up at night," Lillard admits.

An Unexpected Comeback for Fallen Favorites

Reports have confirmed that three different characters from past films are set to return in this new outing, despite meeting their demise in prior movies. The exact mechanism of their resurrection is still unclear. Fans should get ready for the reappearance of the endearing and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the filmmaker and third film antagonist Roman Bridger, and one half of the first film's murderous duo, 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 dream come true, though he is terrified about the audience response. The actor vividly recalls the exact moment he got the offer from the original writer.

"I recall the conversation. I recall the pleasantries. I recall him posing the question. That instance is permanently etched on my psyche," he states. "So I'm really proud to be back. I'm really excited to be back."

Stu Macher has achieved iconic status in the decades since the 1996 movie premiered, which made Lillard feeling very nervous.

"Truthfully, that's a part that lives in infamy, like it or not," he explains. "A character that is now embodied in each and every Scream mask that walks around every October 31st."

The Fear of Letting Down the Fans

Now that production has wrapped, Lillard is waiting as everyone else to see the final product. He admits to feeling significant anxiety about not wanting to be the one who damages the popular franchise.

"The outcome is either a success and people are excited to have you, or it's a fail," Lillard observes. "At the start, I don't know if the movie's gonna work. I am unsure if people want to see me. I've definitely seen plenty of people come out and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they going back to this trope?' So the reality is that I feel a lot of responsibility to not mess up the franchise. I don't want people exiting Scream 7 and saying, 'Well, that sucked, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'"

Speculation and Excitement Abound

While many longtime fans are eagerly awaiting Stu's reappearance, the central mystery of how he and the others return remains. Maybe they exist as manifestations in Sidney's mind, like a previous plot device. Or, perhaps they are somehow all alive in a strange communal situation. The chance of a meta-horror narrative, reminiscent of classic horror movies, also exists.

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