Scream OG Star Matthew Lillard Is Anxious He Could Spoil the Series with the Seventh Installment.

The long-awaited slasher sequel Scream 7 is scheduled to debut in theaters next year, and it is preparing for a major gathering of familiar faces. This latest installment marks the iconic comeback of Neve Campbell as survivor Sidney Prescott, after sitting out the last entry. She will, as usual, be joined by Courtney Cox as reporter Gail Weathers, but they aren't the only fan-favorite characters making a comeback.

"Coming back to a character you portrayed in your twenties when you're 55 was a daunting task that kept me up at night," Lillard reveals.

An Unexpected Comeback for Fallon Characters

It has been established that a trio of distinct characters from earlier films are set to return in this latest sequel, despite meeting their demise in prior movies. The exact mechanism of their return remains a mystery. Audiences should get ready for the reappearance of the beloved and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the director and third film killer Roman Bridger, and one half of the original killer pair, Stu Macher.

The Weight of Iconic Status

For Matthew Lillard, reprising his role in the series for the first occasion since a small cameo is a dream come true, though he is terrified about the public's reaction. The actor vividly recalls the exact moment he got the news from the original writer.

"I remember the conversation. I remember the small talk. I remember him posing the question. That moment is permanently etched on my mind," he states. "Therefore I'm really proud to be back. I'm thrilled to be back."

Stu Macher has attained iconic status in the years since the 1996 movie premiered, which made Lillard feeling very trepidatious.

"Truthfully, that's a part that is infamous, like it or not," he notes. "A part that is now represented in every single Ghostface mask that appears every October 31st."

The Anxiety of Letting Down the Fandom

Now that filming has wrapped, Lillard is in the same position as everyone else to see the finished film. He admits to feeling immense pressure about hoping not to be the one who ruins the popular series.

"It's either a success and people are excited to have you, or it's a fail," Lillard points out. "Going into it, I don't know if the movie's be successful. 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 idea?' So the reality is that I feel a lot of responsibility to not mess up the franchise. I hope people leaving Scream 7 and thinking, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the reason.'"

Speculation and Anticipation Run High

While countless longtime fans are excited for Stu's return, the big question of how he and the others come back remains. Maybe they live as manifestations in Sidney's consciousness, like a prior storyline. Or, perhaps they are somehow all alive in a strange shared scenario. The possibility of a meta-horror story, reminiscent of earlier horror movies, also is on the table.

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