Scream OG Star Matthew Lillard Fears He Could Spoil the Franchise with Scream 7.

The long-awaited horror film Scream 7 is scheduled to debut in theaters next year, and it is gearing up for a major family reunion. This latest installment marks the iconic return of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, following her absence from the last entry. She will, per tradition, 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 played in your twenties when you're 55 was a challenge that kept me up at night," Lillard reveals.

An Unexpected Comeback for Fallen Favorites

Reports have confirmed that three different characters from past films are set to return in this new outing, despite dying in previous installments. The exact mechanism of their return is still unclear. Fans should get ready for the reappearance of the endearing and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the director and third film killer Roman Bridger, and one half of the first film's murderous duo, Stu Macher.

The Weight of Iconic Status

For Matthew Lillard, returning to the franchise for the first occasion since a small appearance is a long-held wish, even if he is terrified about the audience response. The actor clearly remembers the precise instant he received the news from the original writer.

"I remember the conversation. I remember the pleasantries. I recall him posing the question. That instance 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 achieved cult status in the decades since the original film was released, which made Lillard feeling very nervous.

"The reality is, that's a role that lives in infamy, like it or not," he notes. "A part that is now represented in every single Scream mask that appears every October 31st."

The Anxiety of Letting Down the Fans

Now that production has concluded, Lillard is waiting like the rest of us to see the finished film. He confesses to feeling immense pressure about not wanting to be the one who damages the popular franchise.

"The outcome is either a hit and people are thrilled to have you, or it's a fail," Lillard observes. "Going into it, I don't know if the movie's gonna work. I don't know if people are eager to see me. I've definitely seen enough 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 ruin the franchise. I hope people exiting Scream 7 and saying, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'"

Theories and Excitement Run High

While many dedicated fans are excited for Stu's reappearance, the big question of how he and the others return persists. Perhaps they live rent-free in Sidney's mind, similar to a previous plot device. Alternatively, perhaps they are in some way all alive in a strange shared situation. The chance of a meta-horror story, inspired by earlier genre films, also is on the table.

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