Scream 7’s Matthew Lillard Is Already Dodging Spoilers, And I Like His Joke About How He’s Returning To The Franchise

It's a great time to be a scary movie fan, with the genre's renaissance still going strong. Some of the best horror movies returned with new sequels, including Wes Craven's Scream. Anticipation has been steadily building for the upcoming horror movie, especially as casting news keeps trickling out. That includes chatter that Matthew Lillard is somehow returning, and now the Scooby-Doo actor is dodging spoilers and joking about popping back into the beloved franchcise.

What we know about Scream 7 is limited, but casting news (especially related to legacy characters) is helping to buoy anticipation. Case in point: chatter about Matthew Lillard and Scott Foley's return to the franchise. While speaking at MegaCon (via People), the OG Ghostface addressed Scream 7, offering:

Honestly, who doesn't want to see Matthew Lillard back in Scream. Despite Stu's apparent death in the first movie, there's been ongoing theories for years about him somehow surviving. What's more, this theory was even addressed between Kirby and Mindy during Scream VI (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription). For now, I'm gonna keep joking that he's a fairy godmother.

The specifics of exactly how Stu might factor into Scream 7 is a total mystery at this point, but Lillard is already doing a great job at keeping the movie's secrets. As his mentioned, he's been hearing this chatter for decades at this point. And since the Scream franchise has always guarded its secrets, smart money says the 55 year-old actor will be keeping things under wraps. Especially since Skeet Ulrichinfamously spoiled the original Scream back in the day.

Of course, hardcore Scream fans will note that Matthew Lillard did recently return to the Scream franchise before this casting. He had a brief voice cameo alongside other legacy actors in the 2022 movie's tribute to Wes Craven. He also had a physical cameo as a flamethrower-wielding Ghostface from one of the fake Stab movies. So perhaps his actual return to the franchise in a significant way shouldn't be all that surprising.

It should be interesting to see what type of role Lillard ends up having in the next Scream movie. While some fans think that Stu survived all along, I wouldn't be surprised if the former Ghostface killers end up appearing as ghosts or visions. After all, Skeet Ulrich showed up as Billy Loomis in the last two movies thanks to Sam's hallucinations. So it really feels like anything is possible.

Hopefully we get more information soon, but it seems like the studio will keep things under wraps. After all, Scream 7 isn't on the 2025 movie release list and will hit theaters February 27, 2026.