Legacy sequels have recently become the rage for the horror genre. Halloween, Scream, Candyman, and The Exorcist: Believer saw mixed results by introducing identifiable new leads for today’s audience while retaining their iconic characters of the past. It was inevitable that Sony’s slasher hit from the ’90s I Know What You Did Last Summer would follow suit.
Per the movie’s X account, the first behind-the-scenes look at the long-awaited continuation teases the return of the infamous fisherman’s hook and raincoat worn by the main antagonist, Ben Willis. Muse Watson played the role in the original 1997 movie and its 1998 sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. The new film is scheduled for release on July 18, 2025.
While the plot details remain a mystery, original stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr. will return as Julie James and Ray Bronson who survived Willis’ wrath in the previous films. Hewitt’s reluctance to pursue horror movies played a role in delaying a third installment for years. In May, she told Entertainment Tonight about her nervousness when asked about the third installment’s status:
Truly, if it comes together I don’t know how I’m going to feel except for truly overwhelmed and grateful. Honestly, I’m terrified because it’s 26 years later.
Loosely based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan, the original 1997 movie followed four high school friends in Southport, North Carolina who accidentally run over a pedestrian on the way to the beach. Rather than call for help, the teens dump the body into the ocean. One summer later, they get hunted down after Hewitt’s Julie discovers a letter stating “I know what you did last summer!”
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Co-starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe, the original movie grossed $125 million worldwide on a $17 million budget. The Bahamas-set sequel was a financial disappointment grossing $40 million in the U.S. on a budget estimated between $24-$65 million. A non-canonical threequel went straight-to-video in 2006 as well as a short-lived series on Amazon in 2021.
Joining Hewitt and Prinze, Jr. are new franchise editions Jonah Hauer-King, Madelyn Cline, Sarah Pidgeon, Chase Sui Wonders, Tyriq Withers, Lola Tung, Austin Nichols, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, and Gabbriette. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson directs the legacy sequel from a screenplay by Sam Lansky, Jeff Howard, and Leah McKendrick. Original franchise producer Neal Moritz returns in the same capacity.
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