‘Scream 7’ Adds Two Original Trilogy Characters, Surprising Fans

In an unexpected twist worthy of the franchise itself, two supposedly dead Ghostface killers are set to return in Scream 7, with Deadline reporting about Matthew Lillard and Scott Foley joining the cast despite their characters’ apparent demises in previous installments. Lillard’s return is particularly surprising given his character Stu Macher’s memorable death in the 1996 original, where he was electrocuted via television after being revealed as one of the killers. While character resurrections aren’t unprecedented in the franchise – Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis appeared in the 2022 revival as a hallucination – fans are speculating about how Stu might return.

Foley’s casting raises similar questions, as his character Roman Bridger, Sidney Prescott’s half-brother and the Ghostface killer in Scream 3, was killed at Sidney’s request. While Roman had previously faked his death, his return could also manifest through flashbacks or other-worldly means, suggesting that fans would accept even supernatural explanations for his character’s return.

For Lillard, this marks a significant return to the franchise that launched his career. Since his role as Stu, he has appeared in numerous successful projects, including the live-action Scooby-Doo franchise, She’s All That, The Descendants, and most recently, Blumhouse’s hit Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Fans have speculated about Stu’s return for years, particularly after Lillard disclosed that his character was originally planned to be revealed as the orchestrator of the killings in “Scream 3.” When Entertainment Weekly asked Kevin Williamson about the possibility of Lillard’s return in 2023, the screenwriter teased, “you can’t say ‘never.’ There’s always that twin brother theory.”

The duo joins a star-studded ensemble, including returning legacy actors Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, alongside Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown. New additions include Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, and Mark Consuelos.

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This casting announcement follows recent upheaval in the franchise. Previous leads Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega departed the project, with Barrera’s exit stemming from controversial social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict, while Ortega cited scheduling conflicts.

The franchise has maintained strong commercial success, with Scream VI setting a series record with domestic earnings exceeding $108 million and worldwide receipts of $169 million. Collectively, the Scream series has generated more than $900 million globally across six previous installments, including four films directed by the late Wes Craven from 1996 to 2011, followed by two successful revival entries. The latest chapter in the long-running horror franchise is scheduled for theatrical release through Paramount on Feb. 27, 2026, promising to blend nostalgia with fresh scares as it brings back these iconic characters from the series’ past.