Scream Original Star the Actor Is Anxious He Could Spoil the Series with Scream 7.

The long-awaited horror film Scream 7 is scheduled to debut in theaters next year, and it is preparing for a massive gathering of familiar faces. This latest installment marks the legendary return of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, following her absence from the previous film. She will, per tradition, be alongside Courtney Cox as reporter Gail Weathers, but they won't be the only fan-favorite characters returning to the fray.

"Coming back to a role you played in your twenties when you're 55 was a challenge that kept me up at night," the actor admits.

An Unexpected Return for Fallen Characters

It has been established that a trio of different characters from earlier films are slated to reappear in this new outing, even though dying in prior movies. The exact mechanism of their return remains a mystery. Audiences should prepare for the reappearance of the beloved and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the director and Scream 3 killer Roman Bridger, and one half of the first film's murderous duo, Stu Macher.

The Weight of Legendary Status

For Matthew Lillard, returning to the franchise for the first time since a brief cameo is a dream come true, though he is terrified about the public's reaction. The actor clearly remembers the precise instant he received the news from the series creator.

"I remember the phone call. I recall the pleasantries. I remember him asking. That moment is permanently etched on my psyche," he says. "Therefore I'm really proud to be back. I'm really excited to be back."

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

"The reality is, that's a role that lives in infamy, like it or not," he notes. "A character that is now represented in each and every Ghostface mask that walks around every Halloween."

The Fear of Letting Down the Fans

Now that production has concluded, Lillard is in the same position as everyone else to see the final product. He admits to feeling immense anxiety about not wanting to be the one who damages the beloved series.

"The outcome is either a hit and people are thrilled to have you, or it's a miss," Lillard points out. "At the start, I don't know if the film will be successful. I don't know if people want to see me. I've definitely seen plenty of people state and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they returning to this idea?' So the truth is that I feel a lot of responsibility to not mess up the franchise. I don't want people exiting Scream 7 and saying, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the reason.'"

Speculation and Anticipation Run High

While many dedicated fans are eagerly awaiting Stu's reappearance, the central mystery of how he and the others come back remains. Perhaps they exist rent-free in Sidney's mind, similar to a prior storyline. Or, maybe they are somehow still living in a strange shared scenario. The possibility of a meta-horror story, inspired by classic genre films, also exists.

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