Scream 7 is resurrecting the old Ghostfaces

The Scream franchise is bringing more Ghostfaces back from the dead. On Thursday, Deadline revealed that both Matthew Lillard and Scott Foley will be returning for Scream 7. Fan-favorite Lillard also teased his return on Instagram, much to the excitement of followers.

Lillard, who played Stu Macher in the 1996 original, was one of the Scream’s two original Ghostfaces, alongside Skeet Ulrich’s Bill Loomis. Both characters were killed by the end of the film, a pattern which has continued throughout the franchise. Foley’s Roman Bridger suffered the same deadly fate at the end of Scream 3, after his character was revealed to be Ghostface and Sidney Prescott’s (Neve Campbell) half-brother.

Lillard and Foley’s casting in Scream 7 raises a lot of questions about how their characters will return, though this isn’t the first time the modern Scream films have revived a Ghostface. In Scream (2022) and Scream 6, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) experienced hallucinations of Billy. However, it would be a rote trick to use the haunting gimmick again, and we have to have some faith that Scream 7 will have something more interesting in store for Lillard and Foley’s returns.

Scream 7 represents an interesting turning point in the franchise, as Lillard and Foley’s castings come in the wake of a tumultuous year for the project. In November 2024, star Barrera was fired over posting about the Israel-Gaza conflict and co-star Jenna Ortega dropped out the following day, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts. Christopher Landon was originally tapped to direct the film, but also departed the project following Barrera’s firing, referring to the film as “a dream job that turned into a nightmare” in a statement on X.

Now, it appears that part of the soft reboot of the franchise is relying heavily on nostalgia for the original trilogy. In March 2024, it was announced that Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original Scream, would take over for Landon as director, and that Campbell would return after previously turning down a reprise due to a salary dispute. We can only hope that Scream 7 has something more interested in store for Lillard and Foley than haunting Sidney. The poor woman’s been through enough.

Scream 7 is scheduled to hit theaters on Feb. 27, 2026.