I Know What You Did Last Summer Stars Talk Reviving the Concept for a New Generation

The concept of a group of teens being stalked by a person they believe they accidentally killed was first chronicled in the 1973 novel I Know What You Did Last Summer, which served as the inspiration for the 1997 film of the same name. Years later, the concept is once again being revived and reimagined for a TV series on Amazon Prime Video, which understandably needs to make some updates not only to the original novel but even to the 1997 movie for it to feel fresh and contemporary for modern audiences. I Know What You Did Last Summer debuts on Amazon Prime Video on October 15th.

"I think it's really interesting, because I was a little too young to watch the original movie in theaters, but I know people that did and how important that was for them at that time," star Brianne Tju shared with ComicBook.com. "It was like it was a real moment in time, and so I think what we're doing with our show is creating something fresh and new ... but still paying homage to the original movie and book, to those source materials, and at the same time, giving something to our generation. Giving them a chance to experience that moment that the older generation got to have by watching it in theaters."

Of the series' contemporary slang, Tju added, "I think we got really lucky in that Sara Goodman, our showrunner, has a great ear and she really immersed herself into talking Instagram. And really, even, I was so impressed, picked up on things that are current and in ways that maybe I wouldn't have been able to. Our writers' room is also very diverse and young and in tune with our generation right now, so I had to Urban Dictionary a lot of things."

In regards to finding that balance of reviving the original story while also injecting modern sensibilities, star Sebastian Amorousa pointed out, "I think we're making a new thing here, and I think that that's really cool and it's tough to balance the -- I don't want to say idolatry that people have for the original, but keeping, really, respect for those original texts and bringing back the things that people loved to what we're doing while also keeping it fresh and new."

The series is described, "One year after the fatal car accident that haunted their graduation night, a group of teenagers find themselves bound together by a dark secret and stalked by a brutal killer. As they try to piece together who's after them, they reveal the dark side of their seemingly perfect town-and themselves. Everyone is hiding something, and uncovering the wrong secret could be deadly."

Given the amount of time audiences will spend with these characters over the course of the entire season, it can become a collaborative process in regards to performers making characters their own while also staying true to the source material.

"I guess I don't really think about it like that, to be perfectly honest," Ezekial Goodman revealed in regards to his personal contributions to his character. "I think that the minute that I read the script, I'm in a process of discovering who the character is and that process begins by reading the script and continues on through the entirety of production."

Ashley Moore continued, "Yeah, same. And then also, I did focus on not portraying her just as like this drug dealer. That was one thing I didn't want to just be known for, is 'the drug dealer' that Riley has so many layers to her, she's more than that."

Looking to the future of the series, both Goodman and Moore revealed the episodes they're looking forward to audiences witnessing.

"I would say Episode 5 or 6 ... I can't wait for those two, but they're all so good," Moore confessed. "And they're all going to have you on the edge of your seat, just like 'what's next?'"

Goodman expressed, "It's like every episode offers something so different, so it's hard to pick a favorite. I have so many favorite moments from across the different episodes, even for me as an actor that I got to do. But I would say 6 through 8, things really pick up steam."

I Know What You Did Last Summer debuts on Amazon Prime Video on October 15th.

Are you looking forward to the new series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars.