Scream Original Star Matthew Lillard 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 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 reporter Gail Weathers, but they aren't the only fan-favorite characters returning to the fray.

"Coming back to a character you played in your twenties when you're 55 was a challenge that gave me sleepless nights," the actor reveals.

An Unexpected Return for Fallon Favorites

It has been established that three different characters from past films are set to return in this new outing, even though meeting their demise in previous installments. The exact mechanism of their resurrection remains a mystery. Fans should prepare for the return of the beloved and seemingly immortal cop Dewey Riley, the director and third film killer Roman Bridger, and one half of the original killer pair, Stu Macher.

The Weight of Legendary Status

For Matthew Lillard, reprising his role in the franchise for the first occasion since a small cameo is a dream come true, though he is terrified about the public's reaction. The actor clearly remembers the precise instant he got the offer 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. "So I'm incredibly honored to be back. I'm thrilled to be back."

Stu Macher has attained cult status in the decades since the original film was released, which made Lillard feeling quite nervous.

"Truthfully, that's a role that is infamous, for better or worse," he notes. "A character that is now represented in every single Scream mask that appears every October 31st."

The Anxiety of Letting Down the Fans

Now that filming has concluded, Lillard is waiting as everyone else to see the finished film. He confesses to feeling immense anxiety about not wanting to be the one who damages the popular franchise.

"It's either a hit and people are excited to have you, or it's a miss," Lillard points out. "Going into it, I don't know if the film will gonna work. I am unsure 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 reality is that I feel a lot of pressure to not ruin the series. I don't want people exiting Scream 7 and thinking, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'"

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 remains. Perhaps they exist as manifestations in Sidney's mind, similar to a prior storyline. Or, perhaps they are somehow all alive in a bizarre shared scenario. The possibility of a meta-horror story, inspired by classic genre films, also is on the table.

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