Matthew Lillard Was Hired to Return as Stu Macher in ‘Scream 3’, Here’s What Went Wrong

“Let’s face it baby, these days you gotta have a sequel!”

Matthew Lillard is about to say “Houston, we have a problem” in Scream (1996).

Writer Kevin Williamson originally conceived of Scream as a trilogy. When he sold the first screenplay to Miramax he also included outlines for potential sequels. One of his ideas was for Matthew Lillard’s character, Stu Macher, to make a return in Scream 3 — which as we now know, did not happen. Read on for the scoop.

An unused crime scene photo that was created for *Scream* (2022) seems to point to Stu Macher being dead, but the same movie also contained an Easter egg (see below) that seemed to hint that the character could be alive.

After the mega success of Scream, Williamson was so in demand he wasn’t available to write Scream 3, and other writers were brought in to work on his vision. Williamson’s original treatment for the film was set back in Woodsboro, where Ghostface was intent on luring Sidney Prescott out of hiding and back to her hometown. The cold open would have been Sidney and a friend being attacked in her house. Sidney outsmarts the killer and ends up killing him.

It could be argued that another hint Stu Macher is alive is Matthew Lillard’s nearly impossible to spot cameo in *Scream 2*. He is the man with blonde hair in the background to the left of Randy.

When he is unmasked, “Ghostface” is a complete stranger, a random high school “fan” of her life story. The overall plot of Scream 3 would then reveal that Stu Macher was alive and in prison. From there, he influenced a group of high school students into following in his footsteps and committing murders dressed as Ghostface.

This version of Scream 3 went so far that Matthew Lillard was actually under contract to return. However, after the highly publicized Columbine High School mass shooting, the studio wanted to steer the franchise away from a school setting. The script was rewritten and ended up taking place in Hollywood.

A brief shot in *Scream* (2022) shows a YouTube video titled “Did the real-life Stu Macher survive?”

Fortunately for fans of Lillard, he has been cast in the upcoming Scream 7. Previously, an Easter egg in Scream (2022) hinted that he survived the events of Scream (1996). However, since Scott Foley (whose character, Roman Bridger, was shot in the head) has also been contracted to return for Scream 7, Lillard’s character could simply be part of a flashback sequence. We’ll find out when Scream 7 releases on February 27, 2026.

Further reading:

Meet The Author

Chrissy Stockton

Chrissy is the co-founder of Creepy Catalog. She has over 10 years of experience writing about horror, a degree in philosophy and Reiki level II certification.