1990s pop culture brought us Buffy and Party of Five on primetime TV, and two stars from those shows formed one half of a quartet of a budding horror franchise that didn’t earn critical praise but did launch careers. The first film, 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, reveled in horror tropes including a nonsensical set of decisions by the group — portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ryan Phillipe — rounding out a group of high schoolers who hit a pedestrian and tried to cover their tracks. Of course, somebody was aware of their criminal acts and a mysterious, hooked figure (Ben, portrayed by Muse Watson) proceeded to make their lives hell with various stalking and threatening behavior.
The film was quickly followed by 1998’s I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, starring Hewitt, Prinze, Watson, and several cast additions including Brandy and Mekhi Phifer. That film ended with Hewitt’s character still being terrorized by Watson, although, presumably, she remains alive? Let’s talk about what has been revealed thus far about the reboot film that will act as a legacy sequel to the first two films.
Cast
Deadline has reported that Hewitt and Prinze are expected to return, although Prinze did tell Us Weekly, “Nothing’s a lock until there’s ink on paper, until the contract’s signed, but I’m definitely talking to them.” Watson’s possible hook-involvement hasn’t been confirmed yet either, although set-in-stone new cast members will include Camila Mendes, Madelyn Cline, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, and Sarah Pidgeon.
Notably, Brandy (who appeared in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer), reacted to news of the reboot by telling Hollywood Reporter that she “didn’t know Sony was putting that together.” She called this development “interesting” and expressed interest in returning to the franchise while also insisting that “I’m not pulling a fast one on you” for PR purposes.
It’s worth noting that this franchise’s third film, 2006’s I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, skipped theaters with a new cast, and that film appears to be erased from memory for reboot purposes. Additionally, a Prime Video/Amazon series (also called I Know What You Did Last Summer) aired for a season in 2021 before being swiftly cancelled. That project will likely also be ignored for the future, so let’s talk about what has been announced.
Plot
As Deadline revealed, the reboot script has been penned by Leah McKendrick with further writing from Kaytin Robinson and Sam Lansky. The film shall be produced by Sony and distributed by Columbia Pictures, and original franchise producer Neal Moritz is onboard again.
Specifics on the new plot are hush hush, but a young new cast will be front and center, and presumably, the new group will also accidentally do something gruesome and pay the price a year later, although hopefully, this film will differentiate from what came before in a way that will bring something new to the table for this century.
Release Date
The reboot is currently planned for a July 18, 2025 arrival.
Trailer
In lieu of an actual reboot trailer, it’s worth revisiting Jennifer Love Hewitt’s admission (to US Weekly) that her “What are you waiting for?” scene, spinning and everything, was directed by a kid who won a contest.
And here’s that scene in all its bizarre “glory.” If there’s no tribute to this madness in the reboot, then why bother?