Ghostface OG Star the Actor Fears He Could Spoil the Franchise with Scream 7.

The highly anticipated horror film Scream 7 is set to arrive in theaters in the coming year, and it is gearing up for a major gathering of familiar faces. This latest installment signals the legendary return of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, following her absence from the previous film. She will, as usual, be joined by Courtney Cox as reporter Gail Weathers, but they aren't the only beloved characters returning to the fray.

"Returning to a role you played in your mid-20s when you're 55 was a challenge that gave me sleepless nights," Lillard admits.

An Unexpected Comeback for Fallon Favorites

Reports have confirmed that three different characters from past films are slated to reappear in this new outing, despite dying in prior movies. The exact mechanism of their resurrection remains a mystery. Audiences should prepare for the return of the beloved and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the filmmaker and third film killer Roman Bridger, and a member of the first film's killer pair, Stu Macher.

The Weight of Legendary Status

For Matthew Lillard, returning to the series for the first time since a brief appearance is a dream come true, though he is terrified about the public's reaction. The performer clearly remembers the exact moment he got the news from the original writer.

"I remember the phone call. I remember the pleasantries. I remember him posing the question. That instance is permanently etched on my mind," he says. "So I'm really proud to be back. I'm thrilled to be back."

Stu Macher has achieved cult status in the decades since the 1996 movie was released, which made Lillard feeling quite trepidatious.

"The reality is, that's a role that lives in infamy, for better or worse," he explains. "A part that is now represented in every single Scream mask that appears every Halloween."

The Anxiety of Disappointing the Fans

Now that production has concluded, Lillard is in the same position as everyone else to see the finished film. He confesses to feeling significant anxiety about not wanting to be the one who ruins the beloved series.

"The outcome is either a success and people are excited to have you, or it's a miss," Lillard observes. "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 certainly seen plenty of people come out 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 mess up the series. I hope people exiting Scream 7 and thinking, 'Well, that sucked, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'"

Speculation and Anticipation Abound

While many longtime fans are excited for Stu's return, the central mystery of how he and the others come back persists. Perhaps they exist rent-free in Sidney's consciousness, similar to a prior storyline. Alternatively, maybe they are in some way all alive in a strange communal situation. The chance of a meta-horror narrative, reminiscent of earlier genre films, also is on the table.

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