Scream OG Star the Actor Fears He Could Spoil the Franchise with Scream 7.

The long-awaited horror film Scream 7 is scheduled to debut in theaters in the coming year, and it is gearing up for a massive gathering of familiar faces. This latest installment signals the iconic comeback of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, after sitting out the last entry. She will, as usual, be alongside Courtney Cox as journalist Gail Weathers, but they won't be the only beloved characters returning to the fray.

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

A Triumphant Return for Fallon Favorites

It has been established that three 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. Audiences should get ready for the reappearance of the endearing and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the director and third film antagonist Roman Bridger, and a member of the original murderous duo, Stu Macher.

The Weight of Iconic Status

For Matthew Lillard, returning to the franchise for the first occasion since a brief cameo is a dream come true, even if he is apprehensive about the public's reaction. The actor vividly recalls the exact moment he got the news from the original writer.

"I recall the phone call. I recall the small talk. I remember him posing the question. That moment is permanently etched on my mind," he says. "Therefore 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 was released, which made Lillard feeling very trepidatious.

"The reality is, that's a part that is infamous, for better or worse," he notes. "A character that is now embodied in every single Ghostface mask that walks around every Halloween."

The Anxiety of Letting Down the Fans

Now that production has concluded, Lillard is in the same position as everyone else to see the finished film. He admits to feeling immense anxiety about not wanting to be the one who ruins the popular franchise.

"The outcome is either a success and people are thrilled to have you, or it's a miss," Lillard points out. "At the start, I have no idea if the movie's be successful. I don't know if people want to see me. I've certainly seen plenty of people state and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they returning to this trope?' So the truth is that I feel a lot of pressure to not ruin the series. I hope people exiting Scream 7 and thinking, 'Well, that sucked, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'"

Speculation and Anticipation Abound

While many longtime fans are excited for Stu's return, the central mystery of how he and the others come back persists. Maybe they exist as manifestations in Sidney's mind, like a previous plot device. Or, perhaps they are somehow still living in a bizarre communal situation. The chance of a self-referential story, inspired by earlier horror movies, also exists.

Moviegoers will find out the truth when Scream 7 debuts in theaters.