Ghostface OG Star the Actor Fears He Could Spoil the Franchise with Scream 7.

The highly anticipated horror film Scream 7 is scheduled to debut in theaters next year, and it is preparing for a major family reunion. This new chapter marks the iconic comeback of Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott, after sitting out the previous film. She will, per tradition, be joined by Courtney Cox as journalist Gail Weathers, but they won't be the only beloved characters making a comeback.

"Coming back to a role you played in your mid-20s when you're in your fifties was a challenge that kept me up at night," Lillard reveals.

A Triumphant Comeback for Fallon Favorites

It has been established that a trio of different characters from earlier films are set to return in this latest sequel, even though meeting their demise in prior movies. The exact mechanism of their return remains a mystery. Fans should prepare for the reappearance of the endearing and seemingly immortal cop Dewey Riley, the filmmaker and Scream 3 killer Roman Bridger, and a member of the first film's murderous duo, Stu Macher.

The Weight of Legendary Legacy

For Matthew Lillard, returning to the franchise for the first occasion since a small cameo is a dream come true, though he is apprehensive about the public's reaction. The actor clearly remembers the precise instant he got the offer from the original writer.

"I recall the phone call. I recall the small talk. I recall him asking. That moment is permanently etched on my psyche," he says. "Therefore I'm incredibly honored to be back. I'm thrilled to be back."

Stu Macher has achieved iconic status in the years since the original film was released, which made Lillard feeling very trepidatious.

"The reality is, that's a part that is infamous, for better or worse," he notes. "A character that is now embodied in each and every Scream mask that appears every October 31st."

The Fear of Letting Down the Fans

Now that production has wrapped, Lillard is waiting as everyone else to see the finished film. He confesses to feeling significant anxiety about not wanting to be the one who ruins the popular series.

"It's either a success and people are excited to have you, or it's a miss," Lillard observes. "Going into it, I have no idea if the movie's gonna work. I don't know if people are eager 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 responsibility to not ruin the series. I hope people leaving Scream 7 and thinking, 'Well, that was terrible, and Matthew Lillard was the cause.'"

Theories and Excitement Run High

While countless longtime fans are eagerly awaiting Stu's return, the central mystery of how he and the others return persists. Maybe they exist as manifestations in Sidney's consciousness, like a previous plot device. Or, perhaps they are somehow all alive in a strange shared situation. The chance of a self-referential story, inspired by classic genre films, also is on the table.

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