Washington DC [US], September 18 (ANI): Actor and director Matthew Lillard talked about the upcoming slasher film, 'Scream 7' and said that the next instalment of the franchise won't disappoint fans, according to People.

The film is directed by Kevin Williamson and written by Guy Busick, from a story by James Vanderbilt and Busick. It is a sequel to Scream VI (2023) and the seventh instalment in the Scream film series. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Roger L. Jackson, and David Arquette, reprising their roles from previous films, along with Isabel May and Joel McHale.

'I'm thrilled to be back,' Lillard said. 'The movie's fantastic, and I'm really excited for people to see it. It's not gonna ruin the franchise, that's the good news. I don't think!'

Lillard last appeared in the franchise in Wes Craven's original Scream (1996) as high-school student Stu Macher, a horror-movie-obsessed friend of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). He is eventually revealed to be one of the killers behind the Ghostface mask. He is eventually revealed to be one of the killers behind the Ghostface mask, alongside Billy Loomis (Ulrich, 55), as per the outlet.

In the slasher, Sidney kills Billy with a gunshot to the head, and Stu appears to die when she pushes a TV onto his head -- all after Billy and Stu repeatedly stab each other in an attempt to appear as victims. But Stu's death has never been confirmed.

Lillard originally appeared to hint at his return as villain Stu in January, posting a video to his Instagram account.

During his panel at Silver Screen Con alongside Ulrich, their original Scream costar Rose McGowan and Ghostface voice actor Roger L. Jackson, Lillard recalled getting a call about returning from Williamson 'in the middle of the day', according to People.

'I took the phone call, and we kind of small talked. He's like, 'Are you interested in coming back?' ' the Five Nights at Freddy's star continued, adding , 'And I literally thought to myself, 'I've been waiting for this call for, like, 20 years.' '

Lillard added, 'I was so excited. I know exactly where I was, I know exactly that time of day. I know what I was wearing. I was like, 'Oh, my God.' And I was on a walk. It's so weird, it's like these moments that burn into your memory, ' as quoted by People.

Lillard has not reprised his role as Stu in the nearly three decades since Scream was released; he did appear in cameos in Scream 2 (1997) and the fifth movie, Scream (2022), the former as a partygoer and the latter in a voiceover role. Ulrich, meanwhile, returned as Billy in the fifth film and Scream VI (2023), in the form of visions from his daughter Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera).

Scott Foley -- who starred in 2000's Scream 3 -- and Mark Consuelos have also been confirmed to be part of Scream 7, alongside Lillard. They join several legacy cast members in the upcoming sequel, including Campbell, 51, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Jackson, 67.

Celeste O'Connor, McKenna Grace, Asa Germann and Sam Rechner are also among the cast, while Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown will reprise their roles from the previous two films, following the exits of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, reported People.

'Scream 7' hits theatres on February 27, 2026.(ANI)