The Big Picture

  • Could Stu Macher have survived after all? Matthew says he's ready to return to Scream as needed.
  • Lillard expresses gratitude for the support of the Scream fandom, acknowledging how the movie changed the cast's lives.
  • Despite doubts about Stu's fate, fans remain hopeful that the character could return.

In the Scream fandom, there’s one specific question that’s been gnawing at us since the success of the original 1996 movie launched it into franchise status — Did Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher really die? While we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis, the other half of the first Ghostface duo, succumbed to his wounds, no proof has been definitive enough to count Stu out of the game. The last time we saw him, Stu lay on the living room floor of his home after the events of the 42-minute house party scene left him with a TV smashed onto his face. Let’s be real — it’s tough to survive the kind of TV fall that blindsided Stu, but the movies have done pretty insane things before to stretch the suspension of disbelief, and quite frankly we’re ready to believe that Stu survived!

During the Scream cast panel at this weekend’s Calgary Expo, Collider's Perri Nemiroff led a Q&A session where one of the attendees asked Lillard what he’d say to all of those who think Stu is alive and well — perhaps even relaxing on a beach somewhere with a piña colada. Ever the jokester, Lillard said, “Tonight at 8 o’clock, I’m gonna drop a TV on my head. It’s $75 for everyone to watch.” The audience laughed and cheered but no one was prepared for the serious answer the Five Nights at Freddy’s star delivered next.

“I stand at the ready to serve the franchise as it needs to be served. Here’s the good news — they don't need me. I think it would be fun, but it’s not up to me.”

The applause for Lillard’s words was almost deafening as it was made obvious by the attendees of the panel that, yes, while the franchise may not need Lillard to reprise his role, fans would love for it to happen.

Matthew Lillard Is Beyond Grateful For The Fandom

Rounding out his response to the question about Stu’s potential comeback, Lillard took a moment to thank the crowd for their unwavering support for nearly 30 years. Revealing what life truly looks like for him and his fellow castmates seated beside him, Lillard said,

“The ebbs and flows of our careers are legit. One of the things I like about doing these, is that I always think that it’s important for us to articulate who we are and the reality of our lives and this movie came along and changed all of our lives. If it wasn’t for this movie, we certainly probably wouldn’t be here. These moments are super important for feeding our kids and helping us get through these sort of ebbs and flows of life. So, like Skeet said earlier, thank you so much for being here, for supporting us.”

While a moment during Scream VI, seemed to prove there was no way that Stu didn’t survive his encounter with a clunky mid-90s TV set, we just hope Lillard’s words are heard and that maybe, just maybe we’ll see one-half of the dynamic duo back in action in the future. Stay tuned for more to come from the Calgary Expo and relive the wonder of the best slasher flick out there as Scream is now streaming on Max.

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