One of next year’s most anticipated horror films is Scream 7, and it’s bringing back some familiar faces along with new blood. Fans already know that Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers, and David Arquette’s Dewey Riley are returning, but the biggest surprise is the long-awaited comeback of Matthew Lillard as Stu.
After years of fan theories and speculation, the character is officially back—and Lillard just revealed the hilarious reason why it took so long.
In a recent interview with Us Magazine, Lillard explained how Scream creator Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original film and is now directing the new installment, finally decided to bring Stu back.
“When I got [Kevin] on the phone that day, I was like, ‘You’re such a jerk. You said I was never coming back. He was like, ‘Yeah, because you kept arguing to come back, and I was trying to distract everyone.”
For years, fans have speculated that Stu survived the events of the first film. Ironically, it seems that both Lillard’s persistence and the constant fan chatter may have actually delayed his return. Still, the actor is thrilled to finally step back into the role that made him a horror icon.
Lillard admitted that the fan interest has been relentless since the beginning:
“I was giddy. I was freaking out. I had been sort of tongue-in-cheek pushing the fact that Stu’s still alive, he went to prison.
“Like, I’ll go get superhero jacked like [I’ve] been in prison for the last 20 years. And, you know, the Radio Silence [Productions] guys left a lot of breadcrumbs in the movies that Stu was still out there.”
He also shared that people have asked him “literally 1,000 times a day since the first movie” about whether Stu could come back, and he’s long argued that his character never actually died. After three decades, fans are finally getting an answer.
Scream 7 will be the third entry in the franchise produced by Radio Silence Productions, with Guy Busick writing the script this time and Williamson stepping into the director’s chair.
Along with the original cast, returning stars include Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Scott Foley. New additions to the cast feature Joel McHale, Anna Camp, Mckenna Grace, and Celeste O’Connor.
The movie slashes its way into theaters on February 26, 2026.
