It’s a great time to be a horror fan, as the genre has been thriving for a number of years now. Some of the best horror movies returned to theaters with sequels/reboots, including Wes Craven’s Scream. Interest in the slasher property was revived, with the last two sequels containing a mix of Scream legacy characters and newcomers. Some fans are hoping to see the return of Stu Macher, despite his death in the original movie. And now Skeet Ulrich has spoken about how he’d like to see Matthew Lillard return as that character.
Stu and Billy were the Ghostface killers in the original Scream movie, and are fan favorites thanks to their performances. While Skeet Ulrich has reprised his role as a ghost of Billy speaking to Sam Carpenter, Stu hasn’t gotten the same treatment. While speaking with ScreenRant, Ulrich addressed the possibility of Lillard’s possible return. In his words:
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?
There you have it. It sounds like Ulrich would love to see Lillard play Stu again… as long as it makes sense for the character. It’s unclear if that’ll ever happen, but the chatter online was loud enough that Scream VI made a reference to a fan theory that Stu was actually alive after seemingly being killed by Sidney in the 1996 original movie.
Ulrich’s comments make a great deal of sense, and shows how methodically the Scream franchise is handled. His return as Billy Loomis in 2022’s Scream (which can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription) didn’t actually revive the character. Instead, he was shown as hallucinations seen by Melissa Barrera’s Sam Carpenter aka his daughter. It was a very specific macguffin, and it would take another extenuating circumstance to bring Stu back.
While Stu wasn’t returned to the big screen, Stu Macher did get to make a brief cameo in the 2022 Scream. Specifically, as the movie version of Ghostface seen using a flamethrower. His voice can also be heard alongside other Scream alums at the house party where everyone toasts Wes.
Even if he doesn’t ever return to the Scream franchise, Matthew Lillard’s legacy as Stu is intact. And he continues to be a horror icon, recently playing the antagonist of Five Nights at Freddy’s. We’ll just have to wait and see what comes next for the Scream franchise.
Scream 7 was previously announced, but doesn’t currently have a release date. While we wait for an update from the studio, check the 2024 movie release dates.