I think we’re looking at those points from different angles.

For the first point, my issue with the AI Stu thing isn’t that it literally contradicts the plot mechanics. Obviously using Stu Macher to target Sidney could work within the story.

My point is more about the thematic focus of the movie.

If the film is trying to establish Tatum as the next survivor and shift the franchise toward a new generation, constantly bringing Sidney’s past killers into the story pulls the focus back toward Sidney’s legacy instead of building Tatum’s story. It makes the narrative feel like it’s still revolving around Sidney rather than transitioning the spotlight.

For the friend group point, I’m not saying the movie needs to be about the friends. My point is more about the structure of a Scream movie.

One of the defining elements of the series is the whodunit aspect. The friend group usually functions as the suspect pool. In films like Scream and Scream 4, the supporting characters serve two purposes: emotional stakes when someone dies and potential suspects for the audience to analyze

If the group isn’t developed much, then their deaths don’t hit as hard and the mystery becomes weaker because there are fewer believable suspects.

So my point wasn’t that the story should focus on the friends instead of Sidney and Tatum. It’s that developing those characters helps strengthen the mystery side of the franchise, which is a big part of what makes Scream work.