Those hoping for a Julie James and Ray Bronson-centered revival of I Know What You Did Last Summer may need to adjust their expectations, as Freddie Prinze Jr. reveals the upcoming sequel will focus primarily on fresh faces. While both Jennifer Love Hewitt and Prinze Jr. are returning to their iconic roles after 27 years, their involvement in the July 18th release appears to be more supportive than central. Rather than focusing on the original survivors’ story, the new installment seems poised to introduce a new generation of characters to the franchise, with the original stars helping to pass the torch.
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In a recent conversation with Scale Talk Podcast with David Miniatures, Prinze Jr. clarified his and Hewitt’s roles in the July 18th release.
“[Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson] just took such good care of Love’s character, Julie James, and my character, Ray Bronson. They’re not the leads of the movie by any stretch of the imagination,” the actor explained.
Hewitt confirmed her return as Julie James in a December 2024 Instagram post, with filming currently underway. The actress, alongside Prinze Jr., will appear for the first time in the franchise since 1998’s I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, marking a 27-year gap in their involvement.
Instead of centering on the original survivors, Prinze Jr. praised Robinson’s approach to integrating the legacy characters with the new generation.
“[Kaytin Robinson] made them such a powerful pushing forward of the other cast,” Prinze Jr. shared. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, here’s the Ray and Julie movie that we deserve.’ That doesn’t even make sense. That guy’s dead. So it has to be new generation. And the way she sort of laces us in there with them is just beautifully done. The script is wonderfully written.”
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The new cast includes Billy Campbell, Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers, Jonah Haur-King, Lola Tung, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Austin Nichols, and Gabbriette. Notably absent will be Sarah Michelle Gellar, who confirmed to People that her character Helen Shivers’ death in the original film rules out any return.
Singer Brandy, who survived the events of the first sequel as Karla Wilson, has expressed interest in returning, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “I need them to give me a call because I survived in that movie! I came out in the end, bloodied up, ready to go. I did not die in that film… Jennifer, Freddie, hit me up.”
This latest installment features established characters and new blood, much like recent horror revivals. Franchises such as Scream have shown success with this approach, passing the torch to a new generation while honoring the original stars.
The original I Know What You Did Last Summer, released in 1997, was directed by Jim Gillespie and written by Scream scribe Kevin Williamson, based on Lois Duncan’s novel. The film helped define the teen slasher renaissance of the late ’90s alongside other franchises like Final Destination.
