The first footage of the highly anticipated I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot at CinemaCon 2025 has revealed exactly how original stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. fit into the new narrative. Shown to attendees on March 31st, the blood-soaked trailer confirms that rather than being the central focus, the original survivors serve as mentors to a new generation of terrorized teens following another deadly accident in Southport. The footage showcased a young couple, portrayed by franchise newcomers Madelyn Cline and Joshua Orpin, whose peaceful evening takes a horrific turn when a hook-wielding killer infiltrates their home. Following the same premise as the 1997 original, the sequel follows five friends who cover up a fatal car accident only to be stalked by a vengeful killer one year later. When the bloodshed begins, these new targets discover the town’s dark history and seek help from the two survivors of what the film calls “the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997.”
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The CinemaCon footage clearly positions Hewitt and Prinze Jr. as supporting players rather than leads, with Prinze appearing in a courthouse scene declaring, “This isn’t the first time there has been violence like this in Southport.” Later in the trailer, Hewitt’s Julie James directly addresses the new group with the iconic line, “I just have one question… what did you do last summer?” This mentor dynamic confirms Prinze Jr.’s earlier statements about their roles in the film when he said that he and Hewitt are “not the leads of the movie by any stretch of the imagination.” Instead, he praised director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s approach, saying, “[She] made them such a powerful pushing forward of the other cast. 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.”
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Hewitt officially announced her return to the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise in December 2024 via Instagram. “It’s never too late to go back. Julie James is returning,” she wrote, playfully adding, “I know what you will be doing next summer.” Her return to the franchise that helped launch her career comes after careful consideration, as she explained. “I just don’t want to be the ghost of ’90s past. I really want to do something, and I want to be there for Julie James fans… I just want it to feel like, you know, if she comes back then it means something.”
How The I Know What You Did Last Summer Legacy Continues With Fresh Blood
The approach of blending legacy characters with a new generation follows a successful formula that has revitalized numerous horror franchises in recent years. Similar to how 2022’s Scream and David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy incorporated original stars alongside fresh faces, this I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel aims to honor the past while establishing new characters who can potentially carry the franchise forward. The footage shown at CinemaCon strategically positions Hewitt and Prinze Jr. as experienced survivors who can guide the terrified newcomers, creating a narrative bridge between generations while ensuring the franchise doesn’t simply retread familiar ground. This connection to the original films allows the sequel to maintain continuity with established events while still providing a fresh entry point for modern audiences who may not be familiar with the 1997 slasher.
The revival comes after multiple attempts to resurrect the property, including the direct-to-video 2006 sequel I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer and Amazon Prime’s short-lived television adaptation that was canceled after just one season in 2021. These unsuccessful ventures suggest the franchise’s strongest appeal may be directly tied to its original cast and setting, explaining why producers opted to bring back Hewitt and Prinze Jr. rather than attempting another complete reboot. Robinson, who previously directed the darkly comedic teen thriller Do Revenge, has emphasized that the new film treats all previous entries as canon, addressing fan concerns about potential continuity issues. The director co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Lansky, with original producer Neal Moritz returning to oversee the project.
The I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot slashes into theaters on July 18, 2025.
Are you excited I Know What You Did Last Summer is getting a legacy sequel? Let us know in the comments!
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Image Credit: Warner Bros.
