Original Scream Writer Reveals How Matthew Lillard Could Possibly Return to Franchise

The Scream series has featured a number of compelling performers over the years, so when a character gets killed, fans then concoct theories about how characters could somehow return, with franchise co-creator Kevin Williamson recently addressing one way in which the original film’s Matthew Lillard could possibly appear in the future. With Lillard’s Stu Macher being killed by a TV getting smashed over his head, Stu won’t be returning from the grave, but Williamson noted that a theory about Stu secretly having a twin brother could open the door for the actor’s return. Scream VI lands in theaters on March 10th.

When speaking with Entertainment Tonight about Lillard’s return, Williamson admitted, “I mean, I would say never but I have always been wrong when I do … You can’t say ‘never’ … There’s always that twin brother theory.”

With virtually every long-running franchise, especially those that hinge on mysteries and surprise killers, fans often speculate about which figures from the past could make shocking returns. Despite the unlikelihood of such a return, there are some clues from the franchise’s past that don’t make it entirely out of the question.

In Scream 3, audiences learned that Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott’s half-brother Roman was responsible for killings, establishing that family members could emerge unexpectedly. In last year’s Scream, Skeet Ulrich appeared as his Billy Loomis, who had also been killed in the first movie, though with him only appearing as a hallucination of Melissa Barrera’s Sam, his involvement didn’t retroactively change anything about his character’s fate. 

Co-director Tyler Gillett addressed these details, noting, “We brought back Billy as a hallucination,” while producer Chad Villella admitted that Lillard was “also a fan-favorite, so maybe. Who knows?”

Despite how many creatives involved with the original film have confirmed Stu’s death, Lillard himself is keeping the hope alive, expressing, “I would love to come back.” He also pointed out that bringing back Stu was a concept the franchise toyed with for Scream 3, detailing, “It was originally conceived that Stu was running a collection of kids in high school that did horrible things.” 

He added, “I would like to argue, on behalf of the Stu fans out there, that he is still alive.”

Scream VI lands in theaters on March 10th.

Do you want Lillard to return to the series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!