SCREAM 7 Originally Shot an Ending Where Stu Was Actually Alive
The road to Scream 7 hasn’t exactly been smooth. Between casting shakeups and creative exits, this sequel had a lot riding on it. But then came the good news that Neve Campbell was returning and creator Kevin Williamson would direct. Then in what might’ve been the coolest surprise of all, Matthew Lillard returned.
Well… sort of.
Before the film hit theaters, we knew Lillard would be in the movie, but didn’t know how his character, Stu Macher, would be incorporated. Now that the movie is out, we know Stu does appear, though not in the way some fans hoped, but that wasn’t always the plan.
Spoilers ahead.
In the finished version of Scream 7, Stu exists only through screens. His likeness is used as part of an AI-driven manipulation orchestrated by the new Ghostface killers, played by Anna Camp and Ethan Embry.
It’s an interesting concept that taps into modern tech paranoia. But within the story, Stu is still dead. We watched a TV crush his skull back in 1996. This movie sticks with that.
However, in a recent interview with Esquire, Williamson revealed that the creative team seriously considered bringing Stu back for real. “[Co-writer Guy Busick] wrote all the AI stuff,” Williamson said
“The first time I read it, I was like, ‘How is this going to work? How is he going to be alive?’ Furthermore, if it is AI, will part of the audience be disappointed that he’s not real? We were playing that game. And I’d be lying if I said we didn’t shoot it both ways.”
The interviewer followed up to make sure there wasn’t any misunderstanding. “Oh, really? There was an alternate ending where Stu really is alive?”
“[Nods.] We shot a little coda at the end that we had in our back pocket,” Williamson said. “But oddly enough, the decision was that the audience wanted him dead.”
Well, the test audience obviously weren’t fans of the Scream franchise. Every fan I know wanted Stu to come back!
Anyway, that alternate ending apparently revealed that Stu survived after all, setting him up for whatever chaos might come next. Test audiences saw it. And the test audiences didn’t go for it.
“It makes more sense [if he’s dead,]” Williamson said. ‘It’s more real. If he’s alive, that’s a big stretch. We live in a world now where with fake AI, we know that’s possible.”
From a logic standpoint, sure. A secret 30-year survival story would require some serious mental gymnastics. But this is Scream. The franchise has always had one foot in reality and one foot in heightened horror fun. A final reveal that Stu somehow clawed his way back into the story would’ve been outrageous, but also kind of awesome.
It’s also interesting to consider how that “little coda” might’ve played out. If the film unfolded exactly as it does now and then ended with a surprise reveal that Stu was alive, that’s the kind of stinger that would’ve sent audiences into a frenzy.
Instead, the AI angle keeps things grounded in present-day fears, leaning into technology as the new mask behind Ghostface.
At the end of the day, the choice has been made. Scream 7 is in theaters, Stu is officially dead, and the franchise moves forward without resurrecting one of its original killers.
Still, I would’ve loved to see Matthew Lillard step out of the shadows for real. Would you have preferred the version where Stu lived? Or was it better to let him stay in the past?