From murder-crazed psychopath Stu Macher to deranged entertainment center owner William Afton, actor Matthew Lillard has delivered an unforgettable lineup of pulse-pounding performances in the horror genre (and, lest we forget, also squared off against the supernatural as Shaggy in 2002’s Scooby-Doo).
After officially collaborating with Blumhouse earlier this year, Lillard has insisted that he’d “happily” star in Blumhouse movies for the rest of his career. So, it’s the perfect time to explore which other roles he’d be ideal for.
FNAF sequels
Right off the bat, it would seem incredibly silly to not include Lillard in the future Five Nights at Freddy’s sequels — especially when he already hinted that he was signed on for a multi-film tenure with the production house. With the first film releasing back in October, Lillard immediately shined as William Afton and once again perfected a villainous role in a horror feature — so it feels inevitable at this point that he will return for future FNAF flicks.
M3GAN 2.0
Considering how absolutely wild M3GAN was, it hardly comes as a surprise that Blumhouse quickly pulled the trigger on making a sequel happen. And while Lillard had no part in the first movie, the film’s bizarre mechanics and pulse-pounding narrative would surely be a great fit for him. Seeing as the titular android M3GAN is the main villain, it might be difficult to picture Lillard as a baddie in this sequel, so maybe we’ll see him as a good guy.
The Black Phone 2
The success of the first movie needs no repeating, and it was only a matter of time until a follow-up feature was confirmed. Despite the ominous Grabber dying in the first movie, perhaps a copycat Grabber could be introduced in the sequel and mapped out to target a new group of unsuspecting kids. Matthew Lillard, that’s your cue. I mean, come on, he’s just so good at playing a villain, so it’s hard to imagine him as anything else — or when it comes to horror movies, at least.
The Exorcist: Deceiver
If we’re being honest here, the first chapter in the planned Blumhouse trilogy wasn’t exactly a heart-stopping venture great enough to remember. That being said, perhaps the inclusion of Lillard in the rebooted franchise could be the perfect piece that is needed to elevate its popularity and quality. He could be introduced as a baddie trying to resurrect the spirit of Pazuzu, or perhaps a fresh-faced figure that is trying to fight off the deranged demon. The possibilities are endless.
Wolf Man
One of the most exciting and anticipated Blumhouse projects on the way is Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man reboot. At the time of this writing, Christopher Abbott has already been cast as the horror flick’s leading man, but that certainly doesn’t mean Lillard wouldn’t fit perfectly in the project. The possibilities are practically drawing themselves — including the chance for him to perhaps be some sort of red herring or aide to the frightening Wolf Man. The idea of including the horror veteran just screams cash money.
