Matthew Lillard reportedly returning for ‘Scream 7’

Scream 7 will reportedly see the return of Matthew Lillard – find out more below.

Lillard famously portrayed Stu Macher in the original 1996 Scream to kick off the beloved franchise. In that film, Macher and franchise protagonist Sidney Prescott’s boyfriend Billy Loomis were revealed to be the Ghostface killers, with Sidney killing both characters at the end of the movie.

However, Deadline has reported that Lillard will be returning for the franchise’s seventh entry, Scream 7. It comes shortly after Lillard posted a cryptic video on Instagram, in which he writes down one of Stu’s famous quotes: “My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me!”

Deadline notes that plot details on Lillard’s return in Scream 7 are being kept under wraps. Scream 7 is currently scheduled to release in February 2026.

Though Sidney dropped a television on Stu Macher’s head at the end of Scream, there seems to be a slight chance that he survived. Speaking to Vulture in 2022, Lillard shared that there was a version of Scream 3 that would have revealed his survival. He was originally due to return for Scream 3, though plans changed at the last minute.

He said at the time: “I was supposed do Scream 3. I got paid for 3. Not really well, but I ended up getting paid for something I didn’t do because the idea was that I’d be running high-school killers from jail. Look, it’s a horror movie! Crazy things happen all the time. Have you seen Friday the 13th? Jason comes back — like Stu still could come back.”

This was further fuelled by fans’ speculation that Macher was still alive after he is briefly seen during a college party scene in Scream 2. However, this was later shot down by Scream writer – and Scream 7 director – Kevin Williamson, who told Collider: “No, he’s dead. I think that started because of the college scene, the frat party scene because he’s standing in the background. He just came to visit set that night.”

Stu Macher’s potential return would not be the first time a legacy character has come back for recent entries. Scream’s big bad Billy Loomis appeared – though as a vision – in Scream 5 and 6.

Scream 6 scored a four-star review, with Alex Flood writing for NME: “Scream VI isn’t perfect: the constant meta references (past killers, the ‘rules’ of the franchise) felt inventive in last year’s reboot, but here grow tiresome. There’s also a confusing subplot around Sam’s suppressed desire to emulate her dad (Billy Loomis, the original Ghostface), who appears in hallucinations telling her to murder people. Throw in the usual exposition sessions, which keep the viewer up to date on the plot but make it feel like a Gen Z Poirot, and it could all start to get on your nerves. Luckily, such is the sheer, bloody joy of the thing that you’ll be too preoccupied to notice. Maybe more horror baddies should move to New York?”

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