I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel: Release Date, Cast & Everything We Know (2024)

The legendary late-'90s slasher series I Know What You Did Last Summer is returning for a legacy sequel, and it has already scared up exciting news and updates. Based on the eponymous novel by Lois Duncan, the 1997 slasher follows a group of young adults who are hunted by a hook-wielding killer out for revenge a year after they covered up an accidental murder. With its mix of classic slasher tropes and just a tinge of classic American folklore, I Know What You Did Last Summer had all the makings of a bona fide franchise.

Though critics were notoriously low on the film, it nevertheless proved to be a moneymaker, and earned profits that far exceeded its budget (via Box Office Mojo). That naturally led to a string of sequels across the 2000s which were of a generally declining quality. A short-lived TV series attempted to keep the '90s time capsule alive, but it seemed that I Know What You Did Last Summer didn't have the staying power. However, the classic '90s hidden gem has become something of a cult favorite, and a fourth movie is aiming to cash in on the legacy sequel trend of the 2020s.

I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel Latest News

Jennifer Love Hewitt Offers An Update

Not long after the release date for the legacy sequel was announced original star Jennifer Love Hewitt offered an update on the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel. When speaking about her possible return as Julie, Hewitt said cryptically "It’s in the cooker, let me just say that. I’ve done a couple preliminary phone calls...". Though it isn't a conclusive casting, it suggests that the creators of the new movie plan to involve legacy characters if possible.

Read Jennifer Love Hewitt's full statement below:

“It’s in the cooker, let me just say that. I’ve done a couple preliminary phone calls…

“Honestly, it’s just wild to even think about. Truly, if it comes together, I think I don’t even know how I’m going to feel, except extremely overwhelmed and grateful. Honestly terrified because it’s 26 years later.

“There’s power in being older. There’s power in having gone off and had three kids. There’s a sense of ‘I can do anything now.’ The vulnerability that was Julie James in one and two definitely doesn’t exist in this one, I don’t think. I’m excited to just show her grown up.”

I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel Release Date

The Slasher Series Returns In Summer 2025

Even with many important details about the legacy sequel still uncertain, a release date for the new I Know What You Did Last Summer movie has been revealed. Perhaps in an attempt to take on major sequels like Scream 7, the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel is currently scheduled to premiere on July 18, 2025. With the film having the potential to be a bona fide blockbuster, it only makes sense to schedule the film during Hollywood's most profitable period of the year.

I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel Cast

Will Any Original Stars Return?

Perhaps the most exciting part of the announcement of the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel was that original stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. were in talks to reprise their roles as Julie and Ray. However, little has been made about the cast thus far, and even the initial announcement is shrouded in doubt. Hewitt has since confirmed she would love to return, but that seems to indicate she hasn't been approached. Likewise, Freddie Prinze Jr. cast doubt on his I Know What You Did Last Summer return when saying he hadn't been asked.

As for other possible returning stars, original lead Sarah Michelle Gellar denied she would appear in the sequel for a rather logical reason. Unlike other stars who refuse to return on principle, Gellar pointed out that her character, Helen, was killed in a rather convincing fashion, making her return illogical. Considering screenwriter, Leah McKendrick's emphasis on a more grounded tone, Gellar's thoughts have merit.

I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel Story

The Fisherman's Return

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I Know What You Did Last Summer: Jennifer Love Hewitt confirms she's in talks for new sequel

Almost nothing is known about what will happen in the new film, but the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel could turn to the novel for inspiration. Despite drawing its title from Lois Duncan's book, the plot was quite different outside the framework of a group of young adults being stalked after their notorious cover-up. In the movie, their victim is a fisherman, while in the book it is a young boy.

The I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise includes:

Since the original series strayed so far from the book's plot, the legacy sequel could turn to Duncan once again for inspiration, and adapt it in a more straightforward manner. This would satisfy the desire to make it a legacy sequel instead of a reboot, and it would deliver the more down-to-earth and grounded tone that director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is going for in the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (Legacy Sequel)

Not Yet Rated

Horror

Thriller

Announced in early 2023, I Know What You Did Last Summer is getting a new sequel from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and writer Lead McKendrick with Jennifer Love Hewitt. The film will be a direct sequel to the 1997 horror film, ignoring the subsequent sequels and starting a new timeline.

Director

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Distributor(s)

Sony Pictures Releasing

Writers

Leah McKendrick

Cast

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Franchise(s)

I Know What You Did Last Summer

prequel(s)

I Know What You Did Last Summer