[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for I Know What You Did Last Summer.]

Summary

The newest ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ installment follows a new group haunted by past secrets, seeking help from the original survivors.

The new slasher flick maintains the brutal vibe of the original film, incorporating iconic lines, Easter eggs, and characters for nostalgia.

Casting decisions aimed at creating chemistry among the group, echoing the iconic original cast’s camaraderie.

From director/co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and co-writer Sam Lansky, the upcoming slasher flick I Know What You Did Last Summer builds off the events of the Southport Massacre of 1997 with a whole new group of five friends (played by Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers and Sarah Pidgeon) that suddenly find themselves with a killer hell-bent on revenge pursuing them. When the group realizes that the nameless, faceless figure wreaking bloody havoc knows what they did the summer prior and won’t stop until they face consequences for their actions and decisions, they turn to Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) in an effort to change their fates before they get slashed themselves. Collider was recently invited out to Sony Studios to screen the latest trailer, along with other media and content creators, and listen to Robinson and Lansky, along with some of the cast, talk about what fans and movie-goers can expect when the film hits theaters on July 18th. The thing that struck me about the vibe of the film was that it feels brutal and it feels of the world of the original film, especially hearing Hewitt as Julie James deliver her famous line, “What are you waiting for?” She also tells the new cast of characters, “You can’t run. You can’t hide. Get them before they get you.” During the moderated interview, Robinson and Lansky discussed what brought them to the franchise, telling a new story while staying true to the original, figuring out just how much trauma Julie James would be dealing with after the events of the previous films, that the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is canon, Easter eggs, putting this new cast together, updating the costume and hook for the killer, how they got Hewitt and Prince Jr. to return, where there will be an update in the film on Karla (Brandy’s character in the sequel), and whether this film was set up with the possibility of sequels.
Director/Co-Writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson Jumped at the Chance To Be a Part of the ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Franchise

“Yes, thank you. Yes, I’ll do it.”

Question: What brought you to this project? How did you come to the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise? JENNIFER KAYTIN ROBINSON: Sony came to me and said, “Would you want to continue this franchise?” And I said, “Yes!” I got the call and they said, “We’re going to say a title and just let us know what you think.” And they said, “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” and I think before they finished the word, “Summer,” I was like, “Yes, thank you. Yes, I’ll do it. Yes, thank you so much.” Can you give a little summary of the plot of the film without giving away too many spoilers? SAM LANSKY: This film follows a group of extraordinarily good-looking and charismatic young friends who, after a tragic accident, have their lives up-ended one year later when someone comes after them. ROBINSON: They do a boo-boo, they keep it a secret, and then a year later, they’re hunted. How did you make the story fun and thrilling, and also stay true to the originals that people were obsessed with? ROBINSON: Sam and I are both huge fans of the franchise, to the point where we once got into a heated argument about I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and I had to say, “We should just go to bed, and we’ll do this tomorrow.” I was on the side that it should be really, really, really fun because you just want to have a lot of fun. Yes, there’s trauma and there’s backstory and it’s canon. It was never about it not being canon. But Sam was like, “If this happened to you, you would be traumatized forever.” It was us talking about how traumatized Julie James should be in this movie versus how traumatized a human being would be in real life. LANSKY: Jen and I were in Southport, North Carolina. We had gone to Southport, North Carolina ourselves, to experience Southport in all its authenticity. We were staying in hotel rooms next to each other and we decided to watch I Still Know. As we got deeper and deeper into I Still Know, I was like, “Man, if this happened to you not once but twice . . .” ROBINSON: And also, if you were duped by the son of the guy who tried to kill you, and he was trying to date you . . . LANSKY: You would just never trust anyone ever again. I was like, “That’s how we should write Julie.” Ultimately, I think we came to a really healthy compromise, in terms of how traumatized and shaped by what happened to her, Julie is. So, I Still Know is canon? ROBINSON: A hundred percent. LANSKY: Yeah, there was no erasing it.

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How did you decide on what kind of callbacks to use and what Easter eggs to include? ROBINSON: We wanted it to feel like it fit within the story. We never wanted to do anything for the sake of doing it. The way that we have built the story and the way that we have built the lore of especially the first movie into this movie allowed us to play with things from the original in a way that felt like it was a part of their story as well. Rather than it being on top, it is very much woven within the fabric of this new installment. How did you put together this cast? ROBINSON: What makes the first movie iconic is the cast. In putting together this cast, it wasn’t just about finding people that were perfect for the roles. It was about finding people that were also going to be perfect together because that chemistry is everything. There was a process and there were a lot of people that auditioned, but all five of them were just so instantly, immediately who should be in this film.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’s Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson Promises an Even More Brutal Fisherman’s Hook

“It’s not just the sharp point, but the inside of the hook is also a blade.”

Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment 

The fisherman hook and costume for the original was iconic. Did you intentionally do anything different? ROBINSON: It’s a new movie, so I wanted to update the costume. It’s a different slicker. Zero shade to the original hook. We love her. She’s not that sharp. I was just like, “Okay, could be sharper. Could be worse.” So, we did that. I wanted this movie to be its own installment and I wanted it to have its own identity, so we updated the hook. It’s not just the sharp point, but the inside of the hook is also a blade. We made it really bad. It’s really bad, but great.

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How did you convince Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. to come back into this world? ROBINSON: There was no movie without them. I went to both of them, told them what I wanted to do, and gave them the spiel, “This is why I think this is fun now. This is why this movie should exist now.” I worked with both Jen and Freddie really closely on making sure that it felt like versions of the character that felt right to them. There were a lot of conversations and a lot of talking. While this movie is really, really fun and it has a lot of great kill sequences, there is a real emotional undercurrent to it. We talked about how traumatized Julie James would be, and they both would be traumatized, and this movie is about how trauma informs and shapes and changes you, underneath all of the very fun, screamy gags. It was about figuring out exactly what these people would be like today, later in adulthood, having lived with what happened to them for as many years as they have. Will we get an update on Karla, played by Brandy, from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer? ROBINSON: Yes. Just go see the movie. And see it opening weekend, is what I’ll say.
’I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson Says That There Will Be Survivors for a Possible Sequel

“We have an idea.”

Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment

Are you hoping for a sequel to this film? ROBINSON: [That’s up to] Sony. I don’t greenlight that. But yes. We have an idea. We do have an idea. Some people survive. Some people could be in a sequel. Would it be called I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, or would you have to get creative? ROBINSON: We’ve gotten creative.

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I Know What You Did Last Summer

Release Date

July 18, 2025

Runtime

100 minutes

Director

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Writers

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Sam Lansky

Producers

Neal H. Moritz

Madelyn Cline

Danica Richards

Chase Sui Wonders

Ava Brucks

Jonah Hauer-King

Milo Griffin

Tyriq Withers

Teddy Spencer

I Know What You Did Last Summer is in theaters on July 18th. Check out the trailer: