As much as fan service detracts from the very nature of art, there can always be little exceptions here and there of wonder and amazement.
For instance … Stu Macher is back, baby!
Deadline broke the news on Thursday that actor Matthew Lillard will be returning to the Scream franchise for the first time since the 1996 original.
Lillard shared a very clever post on Instagram after news broke to confirm his involvement in the upcoming seventh film of the series.
The seventh Scream film, set for Feb. 27, 2026, will return Neve Campbell to the franchise after her absence in the sixth installment. Franchise vet Courtney Cox is also returning, making Lillard’s involvement a bit of a reunion.
Since Macher is (spoiler alert) seemingly very dead, how is Lillard’s return even possible?
When news broke earlier in the day on Thursday that Scream 3 actor Scott Foley was also returning, it once again opened a fascinating door for the franchise.
Foley’s secret brother of Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, Roman Bridger, was killed at the end of the third installment, but his reported involvement in the seventh film made you curious how exactly he’d be able to return.
Macher’s evil accomplice in the first film, Billy Loomis (actor Skeet Ulrich), returned in the fifth and sixth films as visions in his daughter’s (played by Melissa Barrera) mind.
Does this mean Lillard will return in a similar, figurative capacity? Has Stu actually been alive this whole time? We’re not sure how this will work, but we’re almost too excited to care. This is just beyond cool.
Stu said he’d be right back, and he must have meant it!
