After actor Matthew Lillard appeared to tease his return to Scream 7 on Instagram, many fans were excited—others, not so much. On the heels of Melissa Barrera’s controversial firing from the Scream franchise over her comments about Palestine, fans began criticizing Lillard for his involvement with the film. Many were also critical of Scream 7‘s production company, Spyglass Media Group, for what they referred to as “nostalgia-baiting” and the unfair treatment of Barrera.
there’s no way Matthew lillard just posted this on his Instagram pic.twitter.com/1W2Za4yOmV
— Sam(@0ddsam) January 31, 2025
On Aug. 3, 2023—the late Scream creator Wes Craven’s birthday—Spyglass announced that the next iteration of the Scream franchise was officially in the works. Much of the cast of Scream VI were reprising their roles in the subsequent film, in addition to some surprise appearances by original characters. With a change in director, the production process seemed to be moving forward, with a potential release date of Feb. 26, 2026, according to Variety.
What did Melissa Barrera say about Palestine?
In October 2023, Scream star Melissa Barrera spoke publicly about her views on the Hamas terrorist attacks and Israel’s subsequent attacks on Gaza. In her many posts on the issue, she lends sympathy to Jews and Palestinians alike, noting that, “innocent Palestinians are and have been dying for decades,” and encouraged “peace and liberation and ceasefire on both sides.”
Spyglass quickly cut ties with the actor following her posts, citing that the firing was due to the actor’s spread of antisemitic rhetoric. “We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” a Spyglass spokesperson told Variety.
Barrera’s firing caused many to sour on the Scream franchise and Spyglass Media group, and many social media users urged audiences to boycott the production company’s projects.
“Hey everybody, Just a reminder,” wrote @HeyImReallyDrew on X. “Do not pay to see this film. The studio (Spyglass) fired Melissa Barrera for criticizing Israel and their genocide in Palestine. They attempted to blacklist her. Do not support this film, Thanksgiving 2 or Scream 7! All the same studio.”
As the film entered pre-production, news of legacy castmates signing on—including original star Neve Campbell—continued to make headlines. On Jan. 31, 2025, Matthew Lillard posted a video to his Instagram.
In the video, a hand writes in shaky script, “mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me!” a reference to a famous line his character Stu utters at the end of the original Scream. Many fans believed this was Lillard’s way of teasing his own involvement in the franchise.
Initially, the response was positive, with fans both referencing the original and expressing their excitement. “If Stu is back in 7 I’m gonna lose my mind,” one commenter said. Another said, “Sir hold up huh? U can’t do this and say nothing!”
Fans accuse Lillard of hypocrisy for joining Scream 7
As the news of Lillard’s return circulated on social media, many users reminded their followers about the firing of Barrera and expressed disapproval of Lillard signing on considering the controversy. One user wrote, “Seeing the Scream franchise use him for damage control and him agree after all they’ve done is terribly disappointing.”
Another user pointed out, “Bringing him back is not going to change the sh*tty treatment Melissa Barrera received from the studio after she spoke out for Palestine. Nothing they could do now will make me watch that movie.”
X user @samcarpcnters accused Lillard of hypocrisy, sharing a video of a panel where the actor praised Barrera and called her “an incredibly brave woman.”
here’s the video of matthew lillard praising melissa barrera for speaking out only for him to join scream 7 pic.twitter.com/6zSF10DAOI
—(@samcarpcnters) January 31, 2025
‘The nostalgic bait is so disappointing’
Scream fans were also disappointed in Lillard’s announcement for different reasons: nostalgia-baiting and lazy writing. “I understand the teasing & joking of Stu being alive still. This nostalgic bait is so disappointing & just a slap to the franchise,” one user wrote. “Shit is just lame as f*ck and poor writing to excuse a f*ck up.”
“Having these flashback/vision appearances from old characters would be embarrassing enough given its a direct copy of the Sam/Billy thing,” another fan of the franchise said, “but announcing them ahead of time is so desperate its cringeworthy.” Another commenter responded, “not only does it ruing the element of surprise for those specific characters returning, if they go the ‘flashback/hallucination’ route its legit been done.”
Scream 7 is set for wide release on Feb. 27, 2026.
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