Matthew Lillard on His ‘Scream’ Comeback “I Think People Are Gonna Love It”

Matthew Lillard isn’t just back in Scream 7—he’s doing it with that grin and a warning: “I think people are gonna love it,” he told ComingSoon.net. Fans of the original Scream have held out hope that Stu Macher somehow survived a vintage ‘90s CRT TV to the skull. And now, nearly three decades later, Lillard is finally getting his second shot at his Scream legacy.

Lillard’s return wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge yet. “I was definitely not supposed to be announced until the trailer,” he admitted. But keeping a secret like that while shooting a major slasher film in 2024? Nearly impossible. “We broke the news ourselves before it got a chance to leak,” he explained, acknowledging the reality of modern social media. “Sneaking me in and sneaking me out would have been very difficult.”

He’s not the only familiar face popping up either. David Arquette is back, despite Dewey meeting a grisly end in Scream (2022), and Scott Foley—who played the very dead Roman Bridger in Scream 3—is also part of the cast. Yes, you read that right: three previously-dead Ghostfaces are on the call sheet. It’s giving full meta.

So what changed? A lot. The original Scream 7 plans, featuring Scream VI stars Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, were scrapped following pay disputes and public controversy. When the dust settled, franchise queen Neve Campbell was back, Kevin Williamson was in the director’s chair for the first time, and the slate was wiped clean for a throwback-style revival.

Campbell’s Sidney Prescott returns to the center of the action, and this time she’s bringing family—her daughter, played by 1883‘s Isabel May, and her husband, played by Joel McHale. The rest of the cast mixes young talent (Gen V‘s Asa Germann, Ghostbusters star Mckenna Grace) with familiar faces like Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers and returning survivors Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin.

“It’s like old friends, right?” Lillard said about reuniting with Campbell and Williamson. “I think we’re all really hopeful that we’re building what the fans will love and appreciate.” For a franchise that’s always thrived on blurring the lines between death and survival, Scream 7 looks ready to carve out a new chapter—and maybe even a few throats.

Scream 7 will hit cinemas February 27, 2026.

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