Is Matthew Lillard coming back for Scream 7? Details explored

Scream 7 is going to take the horror slasher franchise forward. Recently, it has been confirmed that Matthew Lillard will return to the franchise with the seventh installment. He had appeared in the first two Scream films (uncredited cameo in the second film) that were made by Wes Craven.

After his exit, the franchise saw many changes in the story and casting. However, the latest news might make the ardent fans of Scream joyous. It would be interesting to see how the makers would incorporate him in the story given the fate of the character he played, Stuart Macher, aka Stu.

Matthew Lillard is a part of Scream 7

Expand Tweet

Variety has reported that Matthew Lillard will be appearing in Scream 7. It will mark his return to the franchise after the first film in 1996. Spyglass Media, the producer of the franchise, is bringing back everyone from the first film. Earlier, Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera left the franchise after doing Scream 6.

The studio is now eyeing to bring back Neve Campbell as well as Courtney Cox, who played Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers, respectively. Scream 7 will be directed by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first film in the franchise. Guy Busick has written the screenplay of Scream 7, while the story is by him and James Vanderbilt. Paramount Pictures will be releasing the film on February 27, 2026.

Lillard played the role of Stu Macher, who is the actual killer in the first Scream. The character was eventually killed. Given the history of the franchise, it's not surprising to have a dead character return to the screen. Skeet Ulrich's character, who was a killer along with Stu, was also killed. But he reprised his role in the 2022 version of Scream.

More about the Scream franchise

Scream franchise was born out of the namesake film directed by the late Wes Craven. The script was written by Kevin Williamson, who decided to satirize the cliches of the horror genre. He was also inspired by real-life murders performed by Gainsville Ripper.

The film defied expectations and became a critical and commercial success. It helped in resurrecting people's interest in the horror genre, which was seen to be in decline. It was followed by several sequels and an anthology series on television.

The news of Scream 7 comes after Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera exited the project. The return of all the original actors is expected to give the franchise a new life. Right after the shooting began, Williamson took to his Instagram to write about his experience. He said,

“I’m not supposed to post about Scream and I hope @spyglassmediagr and @paramountpics will forgive me but when you have one of the best days of your life it’s really hard to keep it to yourself. What an extraordinary day I had working with an amazing and talented cast and crew. They brought their ‘A’ game and had my back every step of the way.”

He further remembered Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015 and was the director of the first four films in the franchise.

“I’m so very grateful for this opportunity and to Wes Craven who was on my mind through it all. The profound impact he has had on my life and career is endless. What a day! I can’t wait for tomorrow! #scream7.”