Summary
- Jennifer Love Hewitt expressed keen interest in reprising her role in a potential I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel.
- Hewitt is aware of her age but won’t let it deter her from returning to the horror franchise.
- There is hope for a revival of the franchise with Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. interested in returning, similar to the recent revival of the Scream series.
In 1997, I Know What You Did Last Summer became a slasher sensation, earning $125 million dollars at the box office against a budget of just $17 million. Its success paved the way for a theatrical sequel in 1998, and a direct-to-video installment in 2006 that featured all new cast members, and has gone largely forgotten about. 25 years since she appeared in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Jennifer Love Hewitt has expressed keen interest in reprising her role of Julie James in a potential legacy sequel that would revive the horror franchise. Appearing on the ‘Inside Of You Podcast with Michael Rosenbaum,’ Jennifer Love Hewitt discussed a myriad of topics ranging from getting older in Hollywood, to anxiety and therapy. When asked if she’d make an appearance in a fourth I Know What You Did Last Summer film, she responded:
“One hundred percent. Yeah. I loved making those movies.”
Initially considered for the role of Helen in I Know What You Did Last Summer (a part that would ultimately go to Sarah Michelle Geller), Jennifer Love Hewitt was just 18-years-old when the film debuted on October 17, 1997. As a veteran of Hollywood with a career that spans more than 30 years, Hewitt is aware that she isn’t as young as she used to be, and is cognizant of the fact that her age gets whispered about. However, getting older is something that won’t deter her from returning to the franchise that launched her feature film career should the opportunity arise.
“I mean, but talk about people being like, ‘Well she doesn’t look 18 anymore,’ but I would do it for sure.”
First gaining notice thanks to her role as Sarah Reeves Merrin on the television show, Party of Five, Jennifer Love Hewitt would go on to star in I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, while also appearing in such films as Can’t Hardly Wait, Heartbreakers, and The Tuxedo alongside Jackie Chan.
She returned to the small screen as a regular in 2005, starring in the series Ghost Whisperer, which lasted until 2010. After starring in the short-lived series The Client List in 2012, Hewitt has been a mainstay on the TV show 9-1-1 since 2018, where she portrays Maddie Buckley Kendall. She hasn’t appeared in a theatrical release since 2012’s Jewtopia, though she did voice the role of Gidget in the 2021 film, Pups Alone.
Related: What Happened to Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Career?
Is I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 Even Happening?
Loosely based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan, I Know What You Did Last Summer focuses on four friends who accidentally run over a fisherman and leave him for dead rather than reporting the accident to the police. A year later, they’re stalked by a maniacal man with a hook out for revenge, who disposes of them one-by-one until the film’s ambiguous ending, which left the door open for a sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.
After failing to reach the success of its predecessor, the franchise was abandoned until it was briefly revived in 2006 with a direct-to-DVD installment titled I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, that vaguely references the first two movies.
In 2014, there were plans by Sony Pictures to remake I Know What You Did Last Summer, with Mike Flanagan attached to write the script, but it was eventually scrapped and canceled altogether. Word came in February 2023 that a legacy sequel is in the works that will see Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) direct the fourth installment in the franchise, with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. set to reprise their roles. However, in March 2023, Prinze Jr. stated in an interview with ComicBook.com that he hadn’t received any offer to appear in a sequel.
“Original FIlms announced that Love and I were doing it. But they haven’t offered me anything. I sat and met with the director after they made that announcement, which I shouldn’t have done by the way. But it happens in our business all the time. I sat with the director and, and she pitched me a cool idea. But we’ll see like that. I haven’t read any script and I haven’t received any offer. I’m just being all cards on the table. I don’t believe in being coy and keeping these silly Hollywood secrets anymore. I’m 47 years old. I don’t have time for that. The men in my family don’t live that long.”
As of right now, there has been no formal announcement from anybody regarding I Know What You Did Last Summer 4, but with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. at least interested in returning to the franchise, there’s hope for fans that it could see a revival à la 2022’s Scream, which saw the popular slasher series come back to life for the first time in 11 years. You can check out Jennifer Love Hewitt’s full interview on the ‘Inside Of You Podcast with Michael Rosenbaum’ below.
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