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

The highly anticipated horror film Scream 7 is scheduled to debut in theaters in the coming year, and it is gearing up for a major gathering of familiar faces. This latest installment marks the legendary return of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, after sitting out the last entry. She will, as usual, be joined by Courtney Cox as reporter Gail Weathers, but they aren't the only beloved characters returning to the fray.

"Returning to a role you portrayed in your mid-20s when you're 55 was a daunting task that gave me sleepless nights," Lillard reveals.

An Unexpected Comeback for Fallen Characters

It has been established that a trio of different characters from earlier films are slated to reappear in this latest sequel, despite dying in previous installments. The exact mechanism of their return remains a mystery. Fans should get ready for the reappearance of the beloved and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the director and Scream 3 killer Roman Bridger, and a member of the first film's murderous duo, Stu Macher.

The Pressure of Legendary Status

For Matthew Lillard, returning to the franchise for the first time since a brief cameo is a dream come true, even if he is apprehensive about the audience response. The performer clearly remembers the precise instant he received the news from the series creator.

"I remember the phone call. I remember the small talk. I remember him asking. That instance 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 cult status in the decades since the 1996 movie was released, which made Lillard feeling quite trepidatious.

"The reality is, that's a part that lives in infamy, for better or worse," he explains. "A character that is now represented in every single Ghostface mask that appears every Halloween."

The Fear of Disappointing the Fans

Now that filming has wrapped, Lillard is in the same position like the rest of us to see the finished film. He confesses to feeling immense anxiety about hoping not to be the one who ruins the beloved franchise.

"It's either a hit and people are excited to have you, or it's a miss," Lillard observes. "Going into it, I don't know if the movie's gonna work. I don't know if people want to see me. I've definitely seen plenty of people state and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they going back to this trope?' So the reality is that I feel a lot of pressure to not mess up the franchise. I don't want people leaving Scream 7 and saying, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'"

Speculation and Excitement Abound

While countless dedicated fans are eagerly awaiting Stu's reappearance, the big question of how he and the others come back remains. Maybe they live as manifestations in Sidney's mind, like a prior storyline. Alternatively, perhaps they are somehow all alive in a strange communal situation. The possibility of a meta-horror story, inspired by earlier horror movies, also exists.

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