Jennifer Love Hewitt says she’s still in talks to return for the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” reboot and she hopes to make an announcement soon…
Production on the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” reboot is already underway but the biggest legacy cast member who survived the original films is still in talks to make an appearance in the film.
Jennifer Love Hewitt, who portrayed final girl Julie James in both the original “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and the sequel “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” confirmed she’s nearing a deal to reprise her role for the new film slated to release on July 18, 2025.
While fellow original star Freddie Prinze Jr. has already been confirmed for the upcoming reboot that is actually serving as a direct sequel to the original films, Hewitt still hasn’t reached an agreement to return but she hopes that changes in the very near future.
“I will say it is truly such an honor, at 45, to even be invited back,” Hewitt told Variety. “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.”
There’s not much known about the plot for the new “I Know What You Did Last Summer” reboot but it’s likely to follow a formula similar to the original.
The first film released in 1997 with a screenplay from “Scream” creator Kevin Williamson followed a group of teens who accidentally kill a man driving home from a graduation celebration but rather than call for help, they decide to cover it up to prevent ruining all their futures. When they all return home one year later, a series of ominous messages begin haunting them that somebody knows exactly what they did and now it’s time to pay.
While Hewitt obviously went onto have a very successful acting career, she still credits playing Julie James as one of her most important and impactful roles.
“Julie James has a special place in my heart, always,” Hewitt said. “It was one of the big first things I ever manifested in my life. I told my mom that I didn’t want to be a [real] lead in a movie until I was 18 years old, because I wanted to be able to work adult hours and crush it.
“I didn’t originally read for Julie James. I read for Sarah Michelle Geller’s part, and the director in the audition was like, “Something’s wrong. What’s going on? You’re not feeling it.” I was like, “I’m not this person. I’m Julie.” He was like, “You have 10 minutes. Go outside, read the sides, come back in.” So she’s a very special person to me because that movie changed my career. She changed my belief in myself. Being able to know that I could see things before they happened and make them happen, and put that out to the universe, and be rewarded in that way — that was a beautiful lesson for me in my life. It has helped me tremendously in my almost 36 years now of doing this.”
Hewitt admitted that part of the reason why her return for another “I Know What You Did Last Summer” movie has taken so long to manifest comes down to the way her character is going to be incorporated into the reboot.
She didn’t want to just pop up for a quick cameo and Hewitt says she really doesn’t want to to a disservice to a character that has meant so much to her for more than 20 years.
“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,” Hewitt 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.
“I think the scariest thing about the movie will probably be people seeing me as 45, since they saw me last time at 21. 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.”
The new “I Know What You Did Last Summer” reboot is being directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson with a script from Robinson and Sam Lansky. The film stars Madelyn Cline, Billy Campbell, Chase Sui Wonders, Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers, Jonah Haur-King, Lola Tung, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Austin Nichols and Gabbriette.
