Ghostface OG Star Matthew Lillard Is Anxious He Could Spoil the Franchise 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 family reunion. This latest installment signals the legendary comeback of Neve Campbell as survivor Sidney Prescott, after sitting out the previous film. She will, per tradition, be alongside Courtney Cox as journalist 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 daunting task that kept me up at night," the actor admits.

An Unexpected Comeback for Fallon Favorites

It has been established that three different characters from earlier films are slated to reappear in this latest sequel, even though dying in prior movies. The exact mechanism of their resurrection is still unclear. Audiences should get ready for the reappearance of the endearing and nearly unkillable officer Dewey Riley, the director and Scream 3 antagonist Roman Bridger, and a member of the original killer pair, Stu Macher.

The Pressure of Iconic Legacy

For Matthew Lillard, returning to the series for the first time since a brief cameo is a dream come true, even if he is terrified about the audience response. The actor clearly remembers the precise instant he got the offer from the original writer.

"I remember the phone call. I recall the small talk. I remember him posing the question. That moment is indelibly imprinted on my psyche," he says. "So I'm really proud to be back. I'm really excited to be back."

Stu Macher has attained iconic status in the decades since the 1996 movie was released, which made Lillard feeling very trepidatious.

"The reality is, that's a part that is infamous, like it or not," he notes. "A character that is now embodied in each and every Ghostface mask that appears every October 31st."

The Anxiety of Disappointing the Fandom

Now that filming has concluded, Lillard is waiting like the rest of us to see the final product. He confesses to feeling significant pressure about not wanting to be the one who ruins the beloved series.

"The outcome is either a hit and people are excited to have you, or it's a fail," Lillard observes. "Going into it, I don't know if the film will gonna work. I am unsure if people are eager to see me. I've certainly seen enough people come out and say, 'Stu is dead. Why are they returning to this idea?' So the truth is that I feel a lot of pressure to not ruin the franchise. I don't want people exiting Scream 7 and saying, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'"

Theories and Excitement Abound

While countless longtime fans are excited for Stu's reappearance, the big question of how he and the others return remains. Perhaps they live as manifestations in Sidney's mind, like a prior storyline. Or, perhaps they are in some way still living in a strange communal situation. The chance of a self-referential story, reminiscent of classic genre films, also is on the table.

Moviegoers will find out the answer when Scream 7 arrives in theaters.