Ghostface Original Star the Actor Is Anxious He Could Ruin the Franchise with the Seventh Installment.

The highly anticipated slasher sequel Scream 7 is set to arrive in theaters next year, and it is preparing for a major gathering of familiar faces. This latest installment signals the iconic comeback of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, following her absence from the last entry. She will, as usual, be alongside Courtney Cox as journalist Gail Weathers, but they won't be the only beloved characters returning to the fray.

"Coming back to a role you played in your twenties when you're in your fifties was a challenge that kept me up at night," Lillard reveals.

An Unexpected Comeback for Fallon Favorites

It has been established that three different characters from past films are set to return in this latest sequel, despite dying in prior movies. The exact mechanism of their resurrection remains a mystery. Audiences should get ready for the return of the beloved and nearly unkillable cop Dewey Riley, the filmmaker and Scream 3 killer Roman Bridger, and a member of the original murderous duo, Stu Macher.

The Pressure of Iconic Legacy

For Matthew Lillard, reprising his role in the franchise for the first time since a brief cameo is a dream come true, though he is apprehensive about the audience response. The performer vividly recalls the precise instant he received the news from the series creator.

"I recall the conversation. I remember the small talk. I remember him asking. That instance is indelibly imprinted 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 original film premiered, which made Lillard feeling quite nervous.

"Truthfully, that's a part that lives in infamy, for better or worse," he explains. "A part that is now represented in every single Scream mask that walks around every October 31st."

The Anxiety of Disappointing the Fans

Now that production has wrapped, Lillard is waiting like the rest of us to see the final product. He admits to feeling immense pressure about not wanting to be the one who damages the popular series.

"It's either a hit and people are excited to have you, or it's a miss," Lillard points out. "At the start, I don't know if the film will gonna work. I don't know if people are eager to see me. I've definitely seen plenty of people state and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they returning to this trope?' So the reality is that I feel a lot of pressure to not mess up the franchise. I don't want people leaving Scream 7 and saying, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the reason.'"

Theories and Anticipation Abound

While countless longtime fans are excited for Stu's reappearance, the central mystery of how he and the others come back persists. Perhaps they live rent-free in Sidney's mind, similar to a previous plot device. Or, maybe they are somehow all alive in a bizarre communal situation. The possibility of a self-referential story, inspired by earlier genre films, also exists.

Moviegoers will discover the answer when Scream 7 arrives in theaters.