Scream Original Star Matthew Lillard Is Anxious He Could Spoil the Series with the Seventh Installment.

The long-awaited horror film Scream 7 is set to arrive in theaters next year, and it is gearing up for a major family reunion. This new chapter marks the legendary comeback of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, following her absence from the last entry. She will, as usual, be joined by Courtney Cox as reporter Gail Weathers, but they aren't the only fan-favorite characters returning to the fray.

"Returning to a character you portrayed in your twenties when you're in your fifties was a daunting task that kept me up at night," Lillard reveals.

An Unexpected Return for Fallen Characters

It has been established that three different characters from earlier films are set to return in this new outing, despite dying in previous installments. The exact mechanism of their resurrection is still unclear. Audiences should prepare for the return of the beloved and seemingly immortal officer Dewey Riley, the director and third film antagonist Roman Bridger, and a member of the first film's killer pair, Stu Macher.

The Pressure of Legendary Status

For Matthew Lillard, reprising his role in the series for the first occasion since a brief cameo is a long-held wish, though he is terrified about the public's reaction. The actor clearly remembers the precise instant he got the offer from the original writer.

"I remember the phone call. I recall the pleasantries. I remember him asking. That moment is permanently etched on my mind," he says. "So I'm incredibly honored to be back. I'm thrilled 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 lives in infamy, for better or worse," he explains. "A character that is now represented in each and every Scream mask that appears every October 31st."

The Fear of Disappointing the Fandom

Now that production has wrapped, Lillard is waiting as everyone else to see the final product. He confesses to feeling immense pressure about hoping not to be the one who ruins the popular franchise.

"It's either a hit and people are excited to have you, or it's a fail," Lillard points out. "At the start, I don't know if the movie's be successful. I don't know if people want to see me. I've definitely seen enough people come out 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 ruin the series. I hope people exiting Scream 7 and thinking, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'"

Speculation and Excitement Run High

While many dedicated fans are eagerly awaiting Stu's return, the big question of how he and the others return remains. Perhaps they exist as manifestations in Sidney's consciousness, similar to a previous plot device. Or, perhaps they are in some way all alive in a bizarre communal scenario. The possibility of a meta-horror story, inspired by classic genre films, also exists.

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