I was in high school when I Know What You Did Last Summer hit theaters in 1997. Like many teens, I was excited by the sudden revival of the teen slasher genre, spearheaded by Scream and its many sequels. I Know What You Did Last Summer, while never quite on the level of Scream, was a solid enough slasher that made a lasting impression. It catapulted Jennifer Love Hewitt—already popular thanks to Party of Five—into full-fledged “It Girl” status, while Freddie Prinze Jr. and Ryan Phillippe quickly became rising stars. Sarah Michelle Gellar, of course, was already a household name thanks to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, flopped, as did the direct-to-video third film, and a poorly received Prime Video series that ignored the original films altogether.
Now, Sony is hoping to revive the franchise with I Know What You Did Last Summer back in theaters this weekend. Whether or not they’re successful in recapturing the magic is up for debate, but the new film certainly benefits from a hot cast. Returning stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are joined by rising talent like Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks), Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio), Tyriq Withers (Him), and more.
We recently had the chance to sit down with much of the cast, along with director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, to talk about their hopes for the franchise’s revival and share their thoughts on the legacy of the original film—some of which they had never seen, as many of the cast members weren’t even born when it was released! Check out the interviews embedded above!
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