Last Updated on October 24, 2024 by Angel Melanson
We may have seen him meet a grisly end in 1996's series-defining slasher Scream, but star Matthew Lillard is not only convinced his character Stu Macher is alive, but would also jump at the chance to return to the franchise.
Speaking on The Drew Barrymore Show, Lillard was asked by host Barrymore if he believed Stu Macher (one half of the original Ghostface duo who terrorized the town of Woodsboro in Wes Craven's original) was alive, to which he confidently declared:
“Stu is definitely alive, right? My character Stu is definitely alive,”
Yes, we did see Stu die on screen with multiple stab wounds and a TV set to the head, but stranger things have happened, right? After all, Stu's right-hand man Billy Loomis was bought back in 2022's Scream and 2023's Scream VI as a hallucination appearing to his daughter, Melissa Barrera's Sam Carpenter.
So, if asked, would Lillard return to the series and the upcoming Scream 7, set to be directed by original Scream writer Kevin Williamson and starring original final girl Neve Campbell? In a heartbeat, apparently:
“I would love it. If it made sense for the franchise. If Kevin [Williamson] liked it. Then sure. Obviously.”
Well, good news Stu fans, because Williamson hasn't ruled it out either:
“I mean, I would say never but I have always been wrong when I do. You can't say never […] There's always that twin brother theory.”
As well as legions of fans, Stu's return would also be celebrated by his partner-in-crime Billy. Asked by Entertainment Tonight if Lillard could return, Skeet Ulrich has already teased:
“Isn't everything possible in this world? I hope so […] I really hope so. He's an incredible human being, and I know he wants it bad.”
Well, there you have it folks. Looks like a Stu Macher return for Scream 7 isn't entirely off the table. With Lillard currently busy filming the upcoming Five Nights at Freddy's 2, the question would be if he could make the time in his busy schedule to come back for the seventh movie, currently set for release on February 27, 2026. We're sure he'd make it work though.
While this is, of course, all speculation at the moment, needless to say a Stu return would be huge horror news, and so we will be watching Lillard very closely from now on…
