Will Matthew Lillard finally be returning to the Scream franchise?
Scream 6 kicked off the new year by releasing a brand new poster, which cleverly contains references to all six Scream movies by showcasing all the major characters from the franchise’s history. However, upon further investigation into the poster’s design, the ‘Stu Matcher’ name appears slightly different than the rest.
In the poster, each character is mentioned in the form of a subway stop, with white circles on coloured lines highlighting character names adjacent to the circle. What stands out from the rest of the design, however, is the fact that Stu Matcher’s circle is the only circle that isn’t the same colour.
New Poster Reference
Stu’s circle appears to be more of a magenta-y colour, as opposed to the plain white that is used for the dozens of other circles used, which could be potentially teasing something big for the sixth instalment.
I believe that this is an easter egg hinting that Stu Matcher will be returning, and most likely as the new Ghostface for the upcoming Scream sequel; which will come as no surprise to most fans of the franchise.
Despite the many references, hints, teases, and confirmations that Matthew Lillard’s ‘Stu Matcher’ is still very much alive in the Scream universe, whether or not he will return remains a mystery to this day.
Matthew Lillard has confirmed in the past that ‘Stu’ is alive, telling Vulture in 2022 that he was originally supposed to return for the third instalment. If you look at his circle on the latest poster, you will see that the colour appears to be a blend of white and purple, which represent Scream 1 and Scream 6 on the poster.
So, could this be possibly teasing that Lillard will indeed be returning, using the two colours to represent his involvement in the two movies? It is definitely a tricky guess, mostly due to Matthew Lillard expressing his frustration with the studio in the past, nevertheless, it still seems like Lillard may actually be returning.
Stu Matcher Will Return, Right?
If you look at the signs, the easter eggs, and the references that all point to Stu Matcher’s potential return, it all just starts to fit together like a perfect puzzle. Despite mentioning earlier the odd detail in the latest poster, plus the official confirmation from Lillard that Stu is indeed alive somewhere, there is another point that helps this theory.
In recent promotional footage and stills for Scream 6, we are treated to a Ghostface that dons quite an old and tattered mask, which you can see below.
What if the condition of this mask is a clue that Matthew Lillard is in the costume, with the mask representing the age of the attire, as Lillard’s character hasn’t been seen since 1996?
Now with multiple Stu Matcher references in the previous Scream movie, the circle anomaly on the latest poster, and the creepy old-looking mask; this just sets up his return perfectly. If his character truly doesn’t have a part to play in the sixth film, then it is safe to say that it will have been a missed opportunity, but at least fans have the references to hold on to for the meantime.
