One of the stars of the original ‘Scream’ talks about his shocking return to the saga 30 years later

Scream 7 hits theaters in less than a month (February 27), and this isn’t just another sequel — it marks the 30th anniversary of one of the most iconic horror franchises ever made.

Stu Macher electrocuted

The slasher classic is coming back in a big way, and fans are already buzzing about one major surprise: the return of Matthew Lillard, the actor who played Stu Macher, one of the original film’s unforgettable villains.

Lillard became a standout star in the ’90s, and in the 2000s and 2010s he cemented his pop‑culture status by playing Shaggy Rogers in the live‑action Scooby-Doo movies — and later voicing the character in multiple projects. More recently, he’s appeared in several high‑profile roles, including the hit horror adaptation Five Nights at Freddy’s.

So the big question fans can’t stop asking is: What role will he play in Scream 7? After all, Stu Macher was presumed dead.

A return to the franchise’s roots

“I’m not telling anyone — not even my wife, not even my kids,” Lillard told Entertainment Weekly when asked about his involvement. “One of the joys of this franchise is sitting in a dark theater with everyone else and discovering what the twist is this time. Spoiling that for someone ruins one of the great pleasures of going to the movies.”

With Scream leaning back into its legacy characters, one of the biggest draws of this seventh installment will be seeing exactly how Matthew Lillard fits into the story — and whether the franchise is ready to rewrite its own history.

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