Connecticut [US], March 31 : Matthew Lillard, who is set to return to the slasher genre with the film Scream 7, expressed his fear of affecting the film's legacy with his role, reported People.
Joining the original castmates David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, Dermot Mulroney and Skeet Ulrich at Hartford's 90s Con held at the Connecticut Convention Center, Lillard spoke on a panel moderated by People about his fear of ruining the seminal horror movie's legacy upon his possible resurrection.
"I will say, I can't say anything about it, obviously. But I am very excited and slightly terrified to be back because all I can do is really screw up a legacy that we have," said Lillard as quoted by People magazine.
He continued, "I could really suck, and so that's my fear. My fear is that I come back and sort of punish something that I could never have touched and been just fine. I hope I don't ruin it up for everyone." as quoted by People
Scream was originally premiered in 1996, and quickly became a cult classic in the slasher genre. It has spawned six sequels, with the seventh instalment being released by Paramount on February 27, 2026.
It will be directed by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the script for the original 1996 film. The project will include the highly anticipated return of many familiar faces, including Courteney Cox, Lillard, Scott Foley and Neve Campbell, the latter of whom starred in the original 1996 Scream and all of its sequels except for Scream 6, due to a pay dispute.
Lillard's career catapulted following his turn in the flick as Stu Macher, one-half of the evil duo (including Ulrich's Billy Loomis) behind the savage killings at Woodsboro High, reported Deadline.
As a refresher, both die at the end of the film. Since his iconic performance in Scream, the actor has starred in the movies She's All That and The Descendants and played a prominent role in the Blumhouse/Universal hit Five Nights at Freddy's.
According to Deadline, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega were originally set to return as their on-screen sister duo; however, the former was unceremoniously dropped from the project for calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the latter departed due to scheduling conflicts with Wednesday Season 2.