Jennifer Love Hewitt teases ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ sequel

“What are you waiting for, huh?”

Fans of the 1997 movie I Know What You Did Last Summer are probably asking the same thing that actress Jennifer Love Hewitt memorably yelled into the street, only their question is about the promised sequel. EW confirmed in February 2023 that Sony was in talks with Hewitt and costar Freddie Prinze Jr. to reprise their roles.

“I will say it is truly such an honor, at 45, to even be invited back,” Hewitt told Variety in an interview published Monday. “To be thought of in that way, to not just move on to the newer, better, younger versions, but [to be offered] to come back and play that part is really cool. We’re trying really hard to make it work. We’re so close, guys! I promise I’ll make a fun announcement, and it’ll be amazing.”

The teen slasher, an adaptation of Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel of the same name, featured a group of teens — also including Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe — being terrorized by a hook-wielding murderer who mysteriously knows their darkest secret: They accidentally killed someone while driving home from party. The teen horror film spawned a couple of sequels and a TV adaptation. The latest installment is set for a summer 2025 release.

Hewitt explained that she wants the role to be included thoughtfully.

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“I think that a big part of the reason we’ve taken a minute is I don’t want to just be like, ‘Oh, there’s the ghost of ’90s past for five seconds in the movie,” she said. “I want to have her come back, be there for a reason, play a real part, and show the audience who she’s become 27 years later.”

The 9-1-1 actress joked about how long it’s been since she first played Julie.

“I think the scariest thing about the movie will probably be people seeing me as 45, since they saw me last time at 21,” Hewitt said. “They might not even need to do anything else in the film — just do a real closeup with no filter, and there you go! But I’m really excited and really honored, and just fingers crossed that everything falls into place.”

In addition to Hewitt and Prinze, who played Julie’s boyfriend, Ray, Brandy Norwood has expressed interest in coming back to the fright-fest. She portrayed Julie’s roommate, Karla, in the 1998 sequel.

“I need them to give me a call because I survived in that movie!” Brandy said of Hewitt and Prinze in a July interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I came out in the end, bloodied up, ready to go. I did not die in that film. Jennifer, Freddie, hit me up.”

In July, Variety reported that Prinze had officially joined the new version.