It’s certainly been a busy year so far in the Sarah Michelle Gellar/Freddie Prinze Jr. household. Not only has Sarah Michelle Gellar recently finished filming a new series of “Dexter: Original Sin” (due to air on Paramount + With Showtime December 2025), but she has also confirmed that there are plans in motion for a reboot of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in which she is set to co-star. And, if that wasn’t exciting enough, it’s just been announced that Gellar’s long term hubby, Freddie Prinze Jr., is set to return to big screens this summer with a reprisal of the classic ’90s slasher “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Honestly, I don’t think it can get much better than this.
So, for those of you that didn’t spend their early years binge watching slashers (can’t imagine why not), here’s a little recap.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’
Released in 1997, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” opens with the dazzlingly beautiful group of friends Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Barry (Ryan Phillippe) as they sit around a campfire celebrating the end of high school, telling old ghost stories, and looking forward to their budding futures together. However, their dreams come crashing down around them—quite literally—when, on the way home, they take part in a fateful hit-and-run. Initially divided on what to do, the group decide to keep the tragedy to themselves, put it behind them and carry on with their lives—(what could possibly go wrong with that plan?). But, in true slasher style, the past eventually catches up to them. They must face their fears as they encounter the ‘victim’ they believed to have murdered years before.
The film was well received, ranking in number one on its opening weekend, and is the sixth highest-grossing slasher film as of 2021. And it’s hardly surprising with screenwriter Kevin Williamson at its helm, having written and produced the popular cult classic “Scream” franchise. Williamson knows how to produce a crowd-pleaser that follows the rules of a classic slasher whilst breathing new life into the genre, and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” did not disappoint. Admittedly, its sequel “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” left much to be desired. However, the original was strong enough to hold its own, cementing the legend of the “The Hook” or “Hookman” into popular culture and setting the stage for slashers throughout the 2000s. PS: before anyone comments, I’m not even going to mention the third installment in the series, “I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer.”
What Do We Know?
It certainly feels like the right time with slasher films making a modern day revival. There was even a TV series released on Amazon in 2021 pulling from the 1997 original (though, this was met with poor reviews and was cancelled after one series). So, what do we know so far?
- The sequel features an entirely new production and writing team, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote the film with Leah McKendrick and Sam Lansky.
- Of the original cast, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are the only two to confirm a return. Sarah Michelle Gellar, according to director Robinson, was very much clear on the fact that her character is dead (sob).
- Sony has yet to announce whether the cast members from the 1998 sequel, including Brandy Norwood, Matthew Settle, and Jack Black, will be joining, but there have been some coy messages around the fact that Brandy Norwood’s character, Karla, could return.
- New cast members include Chase Sui Wonders (“Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, “The Studio”), Madelyn Cline (“Outer Banks”), Sarah Pidgeon (:”The Wilds,” “Tiny Beautiful Things”), Jonah Hauer-King (“The Little Mermaid,” ‘The Tattoist of Auschwitz”) and Tyriq Withers (“Him”).
- The film takes place in the original 1997 location of Southport, North Carolina.
- Though it will reference the events that took place in the original, it will star a new villain and doesn’t necessarily require knowledge of the previous films.
- It will follow legacy characters Ray and Julie as they help a new generation deal with their own ‘secret’ from the previous summer.
- The teaser trailer shows the villain wielding a spear gun which is different from the original murder weapon but still links the new murderer to the original movie’s Ben Willis, whose persona was based around Southport’s fishing industry.
- Director Kaytin Robinson has confirmed that there will be ‘more methodology to the kills’ and viewers are to expect much more gore.
- The film is on-schedule to release in movie theatres July 18th, 2025.
So, the countdown begins. I, for one, am excited. Yes, I know there have been some very questionable slasher revivals over the years but I will be turning up to cinemas in double denim and glitter, ready for some good old ’90s slasher nostalgia.
