I Know What You Did Last Summer is getting a soft reboot, as we still have many of the original characters appearing in the movie. That may be pretty confusing for those who saw what happened to Jennifer Love Hewitt‘s Julie at the end of the sequel. However, one of the writers of the project on the 2025 movie schedule explained why her return makes sense.
As we wait for the release of the new horror movie on July 18th, SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend had a chance to speak to co-writer Sam Lansky about how Julie is in the new movie, despite being pulled underneath the bed by the fisherman at the end of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. Lansky brought up how the scene is similar to the shower scene at the end of the first movie, and even suggested that neither really happened, explaining:
They’re very open to interpretation, and I leave it in the fans’ hands whether those moments are a subconscious manifestation of her fears or whether they’re actually happening in flesh-and-blood reality. I think you’ll find that where we pick up with Julie, she’s out from under a bed. I’ll say that!
This aligns with director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s comments about the scenes, in which she suggested they exist outside I Know What You Did Last Summer‘s canon. Going between the comments of both, it sounds like those moments could be acknowledged in some way, and could be explained away as some trauma or PTSD she’s suffered from going through this not once, but twice before.
There were many discussions and arguments between the creatives about how traumatized Julie should be in this movie. I’m not sure this latest answer from Lansky informs the reader on where the team landed, but rest assured, it sounds like the writers weren’t content to just pretend those scenes didn’t happen in one form or another.
I think at this point, I Know What You Did Last Summer fans are just happy to see Jennifer Love Hewitt back in the franchise. Seeing her in the first trailer along with The Fisherman had me psyched for this movie, and I’m not sure I would’ve felt the same if she and Freddie Prinze Jr. weren’t in the mix.
While some fans may take issue with how I Know What You Did Last Summer explains Julie somehow surviving that incident in the sequel, I should always point out that there were pushes for much more improbable scenarios. In fact, at one point, there was a conversation to try and convince Sarah Michelle Gellar to return as Helen, but she shut that down pretty quickly. At least the writers weren’t burdened with having to explain that away!
As mentioned, we’ll see I Know What You Did Last Summer in theaters on July 18th. As always, stick with CinemaBlend as we reveal our own conversations with the cast, and their thoughts on some of the wild moments of this upcoming horror entry.
