Matthew Lillard opened up about the fate of Stu Macher after the end of Scream (1996), and his hope for the character should be granted in Scream 7.

Summary

• Matthew Lillard wants a concrete answer about Stu Macher's fate in the Scream franchise, and the upcoming Scream 7 needs to clarify whether Stu is dead or alive.
• The franchise has a history of leaving character fates ambiguous for too long, so it's finally time to confirm Stu's fate and provide closure.
• Scream 7 could either confirm Stu's death through various means such as featuring his ghost or a flashback of his death, or reveal that he is alive and potentially seeking revenge on Sidney and the survivors.

Original Scream star Matthew Lillard has spoken out about the theories regarding his character Stu Macher’s fate in the franchise, with his perspective providing a crucial task for Scream 7. While the actor recently returned to the mainstream horror scene with his role in the 2023 box office hit Five Nights at Freddy’s, Matthew Lillard rose to fame in the genre for playing the iconic Stu Macher, one of Scream’s (1996) two Ghostface killers. The actor had a small voice cameo in Scream (2022), but otherwise hasn’t been seen in the franchise since his character’s demise at the hands of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott in the original movie.

Still, this hasn’t stopped an abundance of theories from speculating that Stu Macher actually survived the crushing and electrocution by TV. While Billy Loomis was clarified as dead in Scream’s original ending, the franchise has seemingly left Easter eggs that could indicate Stu’s secret survival, from a scrapped Scream 3 idea to Mindy’s theory about Stu’s fate in Scream 6. After 27 years of theories about what really happened to Stu Macher and further demands for Lillard to return to the horror franchise, such as in the upcoming Scream 7, the actor has given a candid response about his thoughts on the long-standing debate.

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Matthew Lillard Wants An End To The Debate About Stu's Fate In The Scream Franchise

Rather than fueling the debate with more ambiguity or failing to address it, Matthew Lillard wants a concrete answer about Stu Macher’s fate in the next Scream movie. While he’s unsure whether he would return to Scream in the future, especially after Scream 7’s recent cast exits, the actor still hopes that the franchise will clarify whether Stu is dead or alive. Lillard noted that rather than being frequently asked by the public about a potential appearance in the franchise’s future, he’d like for it to be “put to bed one way or the other." Still, regardless of whether Stu is confirmed as dead or alive in Scream, Lillard still has the opportunity to reprise his role.

Original Scream actor Skeet Ulrich has notably reprised his role as the deceased Ghostface killer Billy Loomis in Scream (2022) and Scream 6, though Sam and Tara Carpenter’s absences from Scream 7 put his return in question. Additionally, Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed, who was thought to have died in Scream 4’s ending, was revealed to be alive in Scream (2022) before officially returning in Scream 6. The franchise has a shaky history with the concrete nature of its characters’ fates when left ambiguous for too long, so it’s finally time to confirm Stu’s fate – if not to give the former Ghostface killer solid closure, then to keep Lillard from being asked the question for another 27 years.

How Scream 7 Can End The Stu Macher Theories For Good

The upcoming sequel could finally end the debate around Stu Macher’s fate in numerous ways, depending on whether the franchise chooses to revive him or confirm he’s dead. If electing to confirm that he died back in 1996, Scream 7 could feature the ghost of Stu, characters visiting his grave, or some sort of flashback to prove that Sidney killed him. If Scream 7 confirms once and for all that Stu Macher is dead, his ghost could still potentially return alongside Billy, likely utilizing the same CGI de-aging technique from the most recent reboot films on Matthew Lillard.

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Alternatively, revealing Stu Macher is alive in Scream 7 could easily be accomplished by bringing Matthew Lillard back as the living character. Like some theories suggest, Stu could have secretly been in prison or changed his identity somehow, hiding his survival until an opportune time to get revenge on Sidney and those who survived past Woodsboro Ghostface massacres. Even without Lillard reprising his role, Scream 7 could confirm Stu Macher’s survival by having Kirby Reed track him down through the FBI, Gale find him through her investigative journalism, or see Ghostface find him first before taunting the others with the knowledge of his fate.

Scream

Release Date

December 20, 1996

Cast

Jamie Kennedy , Skeet Ulrich , Drew Barrymore , Rose McGowan , Neve Campbell , David Arquette , Roger Jackson , Courteney Cox , matthew lillard

Runtime

111 minutes

Writers

Kevin Williamson