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

The long-awaited horror film Scream 7 is set to arrive in theaters next year, and it is preparing for a massive gathering of familiar faces. This latest installment signals the iconic comeback of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, following her absence from the previous film. She will, per tradition, be alongside Courtney Cox as reporter Gail Weathers, but they aren't the only fan-favorite characters returning to the fray.

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

An Unexpected Return for Fallon Favorites

It has been established that three different characters from past films are slated to reappear in this new outing, despite meeting their demise in prior movies. The precise method of their resurrection is still unclear. Audiences should prepare for the reappearance of the endearing and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the director and Scream 3 killer Roman Bridger, and a member of the original killer pair, Stu Macher.

The Weight of Legendary Status

For Matthew Lillard, returning to the series for the first occasion since a brief appearance is a dream come true, even if he is terrified about the audience response. The performer clearly remembers the precise instant he got the offer from the original writer.

"I remember the conversation. I remember the pleasantries. I recall him asking. That moment is permanently etched on my mind," he says. "Therefore I'm incredibly honored to be back. I'm thrilled to be back."

Stu Macher has attained cult status in the decades since the 1996 movie premiered, which made Lillard feeling quite trepidatious.

"The reality is, that's a role that lives in infamy, for better or worse," he notes. "A character that is now represented in each and every Ghostface mask that appears every Halloween."

The Anxiety of Letting Down the Fans

Now that filming has concluded, Lillard is in the same position as everyone else to see the final product. He admits to feeling immense anxiety about not wanting to be the one who ruins the beloved series.

"The outcome is either a hit and people are excited to have you, or it's a miss," Lillard points out. "Going into it, I have no idea if the movie's gonna work. I don't know if people are eager to see me. I've certainly seen enough people state and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they going back to this idea?' So the truth is that I feel a lot of pressure to not mess up the series. I hope people exiting Scream 7 and thinking, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the reason.'"

Theories and Excitement Run High

While countless dedicated fans are eagerly awaiting Stu's reappearance, the central mystery of how he and the others return remains. Perhaps they exist rent-free in Sidney's mind, like a previous plot device. Alternatively, maybe they are in some way all alive in a bizarre communal scenario. The chance of a self-referential narrative, reminiscent of earlier horror movies, also exists.

Audiences will find out the truth when Scream 7 arrives in theaters.