News surrounding Scream 7 gets more disappointing regarding what could have been with every passing day, and a recent update suggests that a reunion between two actors from the original movie could have occurred in the seventh installment in the franchise. The popular horror film series began with the release of Scream in 1996, and since then, five more movies that take place in the universe have been produced (and two being without original Scream director Wes Craven). It’s undoubtedly one of the most popular horror franchises in Hollywood history, but that hasn’t helped the controversy regarding Scream 7.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett revived the Scream film series 11 years following Craven’s final movie before his death. The new story takes place 25 years after the Woodsboro murders (committed by Billy Loomis and Stu Macher) with two new leads — Melissa Barrera as Sam and Jenna Ortega as Tara. A new Ghostface targets the two sisters and their friend group, which consists of characters tied to the original killings. After two successful films in the revival series, the next movie seemed like it could be the best one yet, but that changed following the shocking Scream 7 cast exits.
Matthew Lillard Could Have Possibly Returned For Another Scream Movie Alongside Skeet Ulrich
Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream 7 in late 2023, reportedly due to her social media posts supporting Palestine. Not long after, it was announced that Jenna Ortega would not return for the film because of scheduling conflicts. Then, a month later, Christopher Landon revealed he would no longer direct the seventh installment in the series. But the disappointments keep coming with Skeet Ulrich, who plays Billy Loomis in the horror franchise, commenting on the possibility of Matthew Lillard reprising his role as Stu Macher in Scream 7 during an interview with Screen Rant. Ulrich said:
“I think as long as it served… didn’t make a parody of itself. I think the only opportunity would be is if he was alive for it to make any sense. And yeah, I was all for it because he’s all for it. And yeah, I was hoping…By the way, it could be happening and he wouldn’t say a word. I had to keep it secret for 14 months, for [Scream 5]. So who knows?”
Many have been wanting to see Lillard return to the franchise, even following his character’s (apparent) death in the 1996 movie. Ulrich’s comments suggest that Lillard could have reprised his role in Scream 7 and reunited with Ulrich. Of course, Scream (2022) and Scream VI confirmed that Billy was dead, so it might have been difficult for them to share the screen, but there are ways to work around that obstacle. If Stu has been alive all these years, perhaps Billy could have been haunting him. Nevertheless, that reunion is likely a fever dream due to the upcoming film’s controversies.
Scream 7’s Disaster Killed The Franchise’s Riskiest Ghostface Twist After Nearly 30 Years Of Set-Up
Casting changes for Scream 7 means the franchise can’t fulfill an arc that would have introduced a Ghostface twist linked to an original character.
Stu & Billy’s Reunion Is Unlikely To Ever Happen After Scream 7’s Changes
Following Melissa Barrera’s firing and the cast and crew exits, Scream 7 is undergoing a creative upheaval, meaning that a reunion between Billy and Stu is improbable. Skeet Ulrich’s return would make sense if Barrera were involved, given that their characters are father and daughter in the series, but now, it’s unlikely that Billy will appear in the upcoming movie. So, even if Matthew Lillard is involved with Scream 7, it would be shocking if he ever shared the screen with Ulrich again as Stu and Billy.
Scream
- Created by
- Wes Craven , Kevin Williamson
- Cast
- Roger Jackson , Courtney Cox , Neve Campbell , David Arquette , Skeet Ulrich , Jamie Kennedy , Heather Matarazzo , Hayden Panettiere , Melissa Barrera , Jenna Ortega , Patrick Dempsey , Mason Gooding , Jasmin Savoy Brown , Jack Quaid
