Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’s Matthew Lillard on Potential 3rd Movie, Scream 7 Reactions | Interview

ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 star Matthew Lillard about the horror sequel movie. Lillard discussed what fans can expect from William Afton in the new movie, their plans to make Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, how he got involved with Scream 7, and more. “One year has passed […] The post Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’s Matthew Lillard on Potential 3rd Movie, Scream 7 Reactions | Interview appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.

ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 star Matthew Lillard about the horror sequel movie. Lillard discussed what fans can expect from William Afton in the new movie, their plans to make Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, how he got involved with Scream 7, and more.

“One year has passed since the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza,” the official synopsis reads. “The stories about what transpired there have been twisted into a campy local legend, inspiring the town’s first-ever Fazfest. Former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) have kept the truth from Mike’s 11-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), concerning the fate of her animatronic friends. But when Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, it will set into motion a terrifying series of events, revealing dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy’s, and unleashing a long-forgotten horror hidden away for decades.”

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 will be released in United States theaters on December 5, 2025, by Universal Pictures.

Brandon Schreur: So we’re here to talk about Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, which I’m so excited to see. I saw that first one back in theaters when it came out, and I thought it was a lot of fun. Everything that we’ve seen from the second one has me pumped; it looks like we’re getting more of the same thing. It looks great. To start, I’m wondering if there was anything about Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 that really surprised you. You got the call saying they wanted you to come back, and then you got the script for the first time. Was there anything that stood out to you, or how did you react, to where they decided to take this sequel?

Matthew Lillard: Yeah, I think that even in early iterations of the script, the amount of action, jump scares, set pieces — like, the first movie was great. I think they did a good job at capturing the lore and luring the fans into seeing the movie. But the reality is that, as the second movie plays out, very early on in the film, the movie starts to take off. And, once it goes, it goes for forever. I just think that it’s fast, it’s scary, and it’s got big set pieces. The animatronics are deeply involved. I think people are going to freaking love it.

You’re speaking my language. The trailers for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 have given us some idea of what to expect. We know there’s some new characters, some new animatronics, and all that. But we haven’t really seen much, or maybe any, of your character in these trailers. I know there’s probably some stuff you can’t say, but can you give us some idea of what we can expect to see from William in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2?

Yeah, I will say this. Don’t hold your breath to seeing a lot of William Afton. Like Star Wars or like Harry Potter, Voldemort or Darth Vader, they both sort of show up later in the series. So, unfortunately for me, I don’t have a huge part in it. I do think the stuff I get to do is fantastic. I love it. Our hope is that we get to do three films. That’s always been the plan. Everything is dependent on how the movie does in theaters. Like, if it does well, there’s a good chance, obviously — Hollywood chases big hits. So we’re hoping for another big hit, so that we can go off and make the third movie. Which, at the end of the day, will be more William Afton vs. Mike. So we’ll see how it goes.

I hope it happens, that sounds amazing. Jumping back to that first movie, it was such an interesting case just because I feel like there were so many boxes that movie had to check. I mean, it’s a video game movie, so you’ve got to appease fans of the video games. It’s a horror movie, so people are expecting something scary. But it’s also not like a Lars von Trier horror movie; it’s comedic, there’s humor in it, and it’s a fun time. Can you tell us what to expect, as far as the tone goes, going into Five Nights at Freddy’s 2? Do you think it’s scarier than the first, or is there more humor?

I think that they’ve done, like I said, they added all these elements, but the reality is the audience is three years older, now. I do think they’re building — they’re giving space for those kids who were young to see the first movie and letting it grow into a little more radical version of the film. Yes, in that first film, that last sequence, I kill my daughter, and that’s not good as a father figure. There are all kinds of things that are happening. But the reality is that this film has a lot more jump scares. I think that it speaks more to what the game is. And I think that people will really appreciate that.

Totally. That jumps into what I wanted to ask you next, just because you’ve been part of some huge franchises in your career and in your life. Scream, Scooby-Doo, and all of that. But what has the Five Nights at Freddy’s fanbase meant to you since becoming part of this world? I mean, I know there are so many video games, books, and so much Five Nights at Freddy’s-related media. And there are fans all across the world. What’s it been like interacting with them and learning this lore and culture?

Yeah, the funny thing is that, for me, the lore and the culture are really left to Scott [Cawthon] and Emma [Tammi]. Early on, the first time I even talked to Scott, I was like, ‘Listen. I need you to tell me what you expect from me in terms of the depth and breadth of the knowledge of what it is to be William Afton.’ To his credit, he said, ‘I’m going to send you five play-throughs. So you can watch people play through. And you’ll get an understanding of the games. But, more importantly, just play the first game. That’s what I need you to focus on. Play the first game. Understand what people have come for, and what they love. And that’s where you go from.’

Everything else is in conversation with Scott, in terms of who William Afton is. And, to be candid, he’s given me a lot of leeway to sort of build my version of who he is. In the new movie, there’s a great sequence, and he’s like, ‘I love what you’re doing, just keep doing it.’ And there’s so little to hold onto in these films; the things you’re pulling in terms of wardrobe, the things you’re doing in terms of physical. There’s a sequence in this movie that, I love it, I’m really happy about it, and I think fans are going to love it, too. But, you know, there’s not always a lot of dialogue to pull from.

And then, hopefully, in the third movie, we’ll get that showdown. We’ll get that final Harry Potter vs. Voldemort or Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader. That’s our hope. Within that, we’ll get to do that and explore more. For now, we’ve got a long way to go; we’ve got to get people into the theaters.

That makes total sense. I’m curious, though, when you played that game for the first time, did that inspire something in you to keep going and play through all the rest of them? I remember, I was born in 96, so I was just outside the target demographic when the first one came out in 2014. But, still, I was in college playing it and like, ‘No, I think I want to keep playing these. They’re fun, interesting, and I’m into it.’

Yeah, I did not. Like, I got it. By the way, I didn’t answer your last question — literally, you were talking, and I was like, ‘Oh, you son of a bitch, I didn’t answer your question.’ So real quick, to double back. The fandom, my relationship with the fans, has been fantastic. I do think I’ve been incredibly well-received. From what I’ve read and from what I’ve seen, the people, Scott tells me — because he reads and sees everything — are happy with what I built. Or what we’ve built, in terms of representing William Afton. For me, I’m really proud of that.

I love every kid that comes to my table at a convention with their home-built Springtrap the Yellow Rabbit, Foxy, or whatever it is. And I do think that one of the gifts that I have received is this love back from the fandom. And I’m deeply appreciative of that.

In terms of the game and playing it, I played the first game. I got it, I understood it. I love games. I play FIFA every chance I get; I play three games of chess a day. I love games. But, for me, I didn’t follow through; I didn’t get sucked into that rabbit hole. I loved it, I get it, but it’s just not something I followed through with.

Sure, totally. Another super exciting thing about Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is that we know Skeet Ulrich is going to be in the movie, too. Which, awesome, can’t wait. A little Scream reunion on the big screen, I will be there. There hasn’t been too much said about his role, but can you tell me a little bit about what it was like to work with him again on another horror project like this?

Yeah, we just did another interview together like 20 minutes ago. He’s great. The thing is, I think both of us have a deep appreciation for the fans. We’ve grown up holding space for the Scream fans. And this feels very similar. There’s a voracious amount of people out there that have the tattoos, they adore the characters. All of what Scream has meant to the fans is more important than what it means to us, that’s for sure. The thing we share is that relationship with that fanbase. Can’t really get into what we’re doing in the movie, who he plays, or what it means in terms of that aspect of it, but having him on board and having him be an ambassador to the community, that’s nothing but a win for everyone.

Totally and, again, I can’t wait to see it. Jumping off that, I would love to ask a Scream question because I’m such a fan. Top five favorite movies of all-time.

What are the other four?

The other four? Some of them are maybe a little obscure, but like Sing Street. Inside Llewyn Davis. Wet Hot American Summer.

Inside Llewyn Davis?

Yeah, Coen Brothers movie.

Oh, yeah, sure.

I mean, it changes in and out, but Scream is definitely in those top five. But I’m the kind of Scream nerd who has gone back and watched all the director’s commentaries and stuff like that. My question is, in Scream 2, Wes Craven said you had an uncredited cameo in the background of a party scene. Can you confirm if that’s really you? Is that really Stu back there?

Yeah. I was picking up — I went by set, I was friends with everyone. I was picking up Neve [Campbell] and, frankly, Wes was like, ‘Why don’t you walk through the back of this thing?’ I think we were making a joke, like, ‘This is what they’re going to build the sequels on, this is a mistake.’ But he was like, ‘Just walk through the back.’ So I do walk through the back of that party scene. It’s hilarious that it pops up all the time, and people talk about it all the time, when it was literally just for a hootenanny in between shots.

Sure. That kind of answers what I was going to ask next, because I was wondering if there was a conversation there. I mean, it was Scream 2, so you knew there were going to be sequels, and it was going to be a franchise. I was just wondering if there was thought at all about if this means Stu is someday coming back, or if it was just supposed to be a blink and you’ll miss it, let’s have fun for a second kind of thing.

Yeah, I think it was more of the latter. I think it was like, ‘Let’s have fun.’ I mean, I was supposed to originally do Scream 3. There’s a famous story about how we made the deal that I was coming back to run — the idea of the story was that I was going to run a group of high school killers from prison. The reality is that Columbine High School tragically happened, so Hollywood, in a show of good thinking, decided to change that narrative. So I never got to be in that third movie. But it’s been interesting because Kevin [Williamson] has been like, ‘I was going to keep you alive in the third film.’ Which means that Stu could potentially be alive. And, now, here we are.

Yeah. Which, I mean, we’ve got Scream 7 coming out sometime early next year. Can’t wait, the trailer looks amazing.

February 27, in case you were curious.

That’s the date. I can’t wait to see it, I’m such a fan. I know there’s so much you can’t say, and I won’t try to press you for anything, but how was it coming back to this world and working with Kevin again in this franchise?

It was awesome. The reality is that I remember where I was when I got the phone call. I remember in the park, exactly where it happened. Seeing the phone call from Kevin Williamson. We had seen each other at a party like three weeks beforehand at Mike Flanagan’s house. I was like, ‘What is he calling me for? That’s so strange.’ He was talking about going in and doing Scream 7. And even at the party, he was like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to go shoot the movie, I’m going to direct it.’ I was like, ‘That’s incredible.’ And he never mentioned anything. But we got on the phone and was like, ‘Do you want to come back and play with us?’ I was like, ‘You bastard, you could have said something like three weeks ago!’

Look, I’m excited. What I’m most excited about is I think the movie, with Kevin involved and with Neve back — listen, I love the Radio Silence guys. I thought Melissa Barrera was fantastic. But I’m excited to see where this new iteration of Scream goes. The movie is testing through the roof, I think people are going to love it, and I think fans are going to lose their minds. It’s very fun.

Thanks to Matthew Lillard for taking the time to discuss Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.

The post Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’s Matthew Lillard on Potential 3rd Movie, Scream 7 Reactions | Interview appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.