Over the past few years, the horror genre has been in an exciting renaissance. Plenty of exciting projects have hit theaters recently, resulting in critical and box office success. But horror has always been rooted in its long running franchises, leading to the recent revival of projects like Halloween and Child's Play. It was recently revealed that Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are working on a Scream 5 movie, with Neve Campbell in talks to return as Sidney Prescott. But now it looks like one of her original Scream co-stars wants in on the sequel as well.
Wes Craven brought new life to slashers with his first Scream movie, which was a massive hit when it arrived in theaters in 1996. Craven also assembled a stellar cast of actors, including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Drew Barrymore. Actor Matthew Lillard iconically co-starred as Stu, who turned out to be one of the movie's killers. And despite Stu's death, Lillard still is eager to return to the franchise for Scream 5 if he could. When asked if he'd like to appear in the developing sequel, he said:
Yes, yes, I'm available, yes, yes! There's nobody that wouldn't want to come back and reprise a role they got to do when they were a boy and be able to do something different as a man would be exciting. You just don't get that opportunity often.
While Stu has been dead for decades, it looks like Matthew Lillard would still love to somehow join the cast of Scream 5. And he's not the only original cast member vying for a role, regardless of wether or not it makes logical sense. We'll just have to wait and see how the movie continues to come together, and how negotiations with its stars pan out.
Matthew Lillard's performance in Scream is iconic, as the young actor put his signature high energy into crafting the character of Stu. He's a consistent source of comedy throughout the iconic slasher, and he gets to go totally unhinged in the movie's third act. But Sidney Prescott ultimately gets the upper hand and kills him with a television. But hey, he was no Sharon Stone.
Another OG Scream star has also been campaigning for a chance to return, despite his character's death. Jamie Kennedy's Randy died back in Scream 2, although he got another appearance in Scream 3 thanks to a video goodbye he'd recorded prior to being murdered. But Kennedy would also love to return to the beloved franchise.
Later in his conversation with Too Fab, Matthew Lillard explained why the Scream franchise continues to resonate with movie audiences, as he put it,
I'm not surprised people still love to follow the journey of Sidney Prescott. I think that Neve was so endearing when she was young and people love that story and root for her and it's kind of a really interesting ability to continue to tell a movie story over almost 3 generations. Three decades.
He's not wrong. Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott is one of the most iconic scream queens of all time, right up there with Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode. The character's ability to adapt and survive makes for great storytelling, especially with Campbell in the role. Although audiences are also invested in Gale and Dewey, played by Courteney Cox and David Arquette respectively.
It should be interesting to see where Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett take the story of Scream 5. Their horror hit Ready or Not had a similar irreverent tone as the Scream franchise, and they seemed to have won over Neve Campbell. Still, the developing movie would mark the first time a Scream movie wasn't directed by the late Wes Craven.
CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things Scream 5 as details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
