Scream 6 continues the legacy of Ghostface, but does Matthew Lillard return as Stu Macher in the sequel, or is he truly dead?
Lillard first appeared in 1996’s Scream, the launchpad for one of horror’s most beloved franchises. He played Stu Macher, Sidney’s tongue-waggling friend and one-half of the movie’s serial-killer duo alongside best friend and maniac Billy Loomis.
After a stab-off, Sidney kills Stu by dropping a TV on his head, crushing and electrocuting him. While there were once plans to resurrect him, Lillard’s character has yet to appear in another entry.
So, with Scream 6 about to hit cinemas, fans may be wondering: will Stu Macher return?
Is Matthew Lillard in Scream 6?
No, Matthew Lillard has not returned as Stu Macher for Scream 6 – however, that isn’t to say he won’t appear down the line.
In 2020, Lillard tweeted: “I mean… it was just a TV? Right? You’d think he’d SURVIVE?” In an interview thereafter with TooFab, he said: “There’s nobody that wouldn’t want to come back and reprise a role they got to do when they were a boy, and be able to do something different as a man would be exciting. You just don’t get that opportunity often.”
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…who wants this? https://t.co/2IL2fZQKXt
— matthew lillard —Will block. 0-F’s-given (@MatthewLillard) January 23, 2022
The “Stu is alive” theory has been floated to cast and crew across the Scream franchise, including his earlier co-star Skeet Ulrich. “I really hope so. He’s an incredible human being and I know he wants it bad,” he told Entertainment Tonight.
In Scream 5, Billy Loomis returned through Sam Carpenter’s visions. Could the same happen for Stu? According to directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, it’s a possibility.
“We brought back Billy as a hallucination,” he said, with producer Chad Villella adding: “He’s also a fan-favorite, so maybe. Who knows?”
Longtime series scribe and producer Kevin Williamson also said: “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.”
Scream 6 hits cinemas on March 10. You can read our review here and check out the rest of our coverage here.