Scream 7: Stu Returns In New Fan Poster Design & Revives A Dead Rumor

If there's one thing the "Scream" franchise excels at, it's formulating a good callback. The franchise has come a long way since the first movie released in 1996, but the DNA of the original can still be felt, thanks to modern entries including returning characters like Courtney Cox's Gale Weathers and references to the events of previous films. However, it seems like fans are particularly holding out hope for the upcoming "Scream 7" to bring back a certain icon of the esteemed horror franchise: one of its original killers.

Indeed, while the plot of "Scream 7" is still largely under wraps, there's quite a bit of buzz surrounding the idea of Matthew Lillard's goofy yet sadistic Stu Macher — the accomplice of the original Ghostface in the first "Scream" — coming back to terrorize a new generation. Professional film poster designer and dedicated fan @creepyduckart posted a mock-up poster for "Scream 7" referencing Stu's potential comeback and his...unfortunate history with large tube TVs, prompting debates over the character's dead-or-alive status to swirl once again. Meanwhile, a petition on Change.org requesting Stu to return to the next installment has garnered more than a few signatures.

There's certainly plenty of demand out there for another appearance from one of Lillard's most popular horror roles. As for whether Stu really has a shot at hitting the "Scream" scene once again, the answer is a little more complicated.

Those who have followed along closely with the "Scream" movies will know that the biggest hurdle barring Matthew Lillard's Stu making another appearance is that he's been canonically dead since the ending of the first movie. Indeed, the conclusion of the original entry sees Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott drop a massive TV on his head, killing him immediately.

While the "Scream" films are known to enjoy a good fake out when it comes to character deaths, Stu's demise has been a relatively fixed point of continuity up to the most recent releases. In fact, the matter of his death is a fairly significant plot point in "Scream 6." While that movie gives a tease or two suggesting that maybe it isn't a fully concrete thing that Stu is dead, "Scream" writer Kevin Williamson gave explicit confirmation to Collider as recently as 2022 that Lillard's character is six feet under.

Between the lengthy amount of time that has passed in the movie series without Stu resurfacing and comments straight from the source in terms of the franchise's creators, it's probably wise not to outright expect a return for the character. That being said, there's certainly a few points in favor of Stu coming back as well.

The thing about villains getting killed off in slasher franchises is that these particular deaths have a tendency not to stick. Of course, a lot of that has to do with various classic horror movie killers having supernatural powers (unlike the many Ghostfaces), but there's arguably an even more significant narrative reason for it — sometimes it's worth amending continuity if it allows for an interesting comeback story. Stu's death in "Scream" may be a confirmed thing, but that doesn't mean the character is permanently off the table. A new team working on the franchise may see reason to bring Stu back in service of a good story, even if it takes a little sprinkling of retcons and contrivances to get there.

Despite Kevin Williamson's claims to the contrary, even he noted in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that there's ways the team could bring Stu back if they really wanted to. That idea is supported by "Scream 6" co-director Tyler Gillet and producer Chad Villella, who similarly won't rule out the chance of a Stu comeback. "Anything's possible," the former noted.

Meanwhile, Matthew Lillard has suggested that there have already been plans for Stu to return to "Scream" at least once. In his own interview with Entertainment Tonight, he revealed that the original "Scream 3" script was going to reveal that Stu had survived and had been forming a new revenge plot against the survivors. The actor has also historically been a heavy proponent of the idea that Stu is alive, with his most recent reaffirmation of this idea coming at the Denver Fan Expo in July 2023.

Based on the evidence supporting Stu's survival past the first "Scream" movie, it's impossible to completely discount the idea of him making a bloody return to the franchise. In fact, it's possible fans may be in the midst of that build-up for Stu's true return right now. It's definitely odd that "Scream 6" subtly plays around with the idea of Stu possibly somehow being alive in small hints and conversations. Some viewers have even read between the lines of a couple scenes in the movie to generate some intriguing Stu-centric fan theories with further evidence to support the fan-favorite character surviving his supposed demise.

Perhaps the biggest chip in support of Stu's return, however, is that Matthew Lillard himself would be happy to reprise the role. "I would love to come back," he said in the aforementioned Entertainment Tonight interview. "Actors, for the most part, most of us are out here tap dancing as fast as we can to feed our families and get jobs. So if there was a chance to come back, that made sense, yes."

For now, fans will have to wait for more details on "Scream 7," and hold out hope that its eventual confirmed cast list features Lillard.