This article was originally published on ComicBookMovie.com.
Christopher Landon was originally set to direct Scream 7, and fans responded positively to the news. He'd found the right balance of horror and comedy in Happy Death Day and Freaky, and delivered some huge scares with his work on the Paranormal Activity series.
However, when the lead of the modern Scream franchise, Melissa Barrera, was unceremoniously fired for weighing in on the Israel/Palestine conflict on social media, the movie, in its original form, fell apart. Jenna Ortega also walked away, and Landon wasn't too far behind her.
Spyglass Media Group convinced Kevin Williamson (who wrote the first two movies and directed the third and fourth instalments) to return to Scream for this seventh chapter and enlisted original cast members Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Scott Foley, and Matthew Lillard to make up for Barrera and Ortega being absent.
The first trailer for Scream 7 received a positive response, and all signs point to this next chapter being "classic" Scream. Talking to us about his role in Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Lillard—who reprises his role as Stuart "Stu" Macher—talked about returning to one of his most iconic roles.
"Yeah, they didn't really have to sell me," the actor tells us in the video below. "It was one of those things where I got a call from Kevin Williams in the middle of the day when I was on a long walk, and I was like, 'Oh, that's weird, he's calling me. He doesn't call me.' I'd just seen him three weeks earlier, so I picked up and said, 'Why are you calling me?' He said, 'Come back.'"
"It was a shock. I never expected it. In fact, he was out saying, 'Stu doesn't come back and the franchise doesn't need Lillard.' That was so mean! [Laughs] That's my bit. I've been on the circuit talking about Stu coming back. It was part of my schtick."
"[Kevin] pitched the idea, I was excited to read it, and I got the script a couple of weeks later," Lillard continued. "I think it's great. Wes [Craven] would be very proud. It's in the lines of what the franchise used to be. I think the franchise was in a great place with that new team. Melissa was fantastic, the boys were great, and Radio Silence were fantastic directors."
Elaborating on what fans can expect from Scream 7, he revealed, "Kevin's take is a little more traditional in terms of the Scream franchise, and I think people are going to be excited. I hope they are. Early on, testing has been through the roof, which is thrilling. I'm excited to see what happens."
The newer Scream movies did what was necessary to put the slasher franchise back on the map with a fresh cast, but fans were always eager to see some returning faces join them. With this next instalment likely to be heavy on nostalgia, it should hit all the right notes (there's also a huge amount of intrigue surrounding how these long-dead characters return).
You can hear more from Lillard on Scream 7 in the player below.
When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has built a new life, her darkest fears are realised as her daughter (Isabel May) becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all.
Joel McHale joins the cast of Scream 7 as Sidney's husband, Mark Evans. Scott Foley, who played Roman Bridger in Scream 3, is also returning, alongside franchise veterans Matthew Lillard and David Arquette. As we're sure you know, their respective characters are dead, so let the speculation commence.
Joining them in the movie will be Anna Camp, Mark Consuelos, Ethan Embry, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Michelle Randolph, and Jimmy Tatro.
Scream creator and original writer Kevin Williamson steps behind the camera for the first time to direct Scream 7. Guy Busick wrote the screenplay, based on a story by Busick and James Vanderbilt.
Scream 7 arrives in theaters on February 27, 2026. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 arrives in theaters on December 5.