I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel’s Legacy Character Returns Explained By Freddie Prinze Jr.: “They’re Not The Leads”

While the duo have finally been confirmed to be coming back, Freddie Prinze Jr. has some surprising insight about Julie and Ray’s return in the I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel. After moving away from a Mike Flanagan-helmed remake, development began on a direct sequel to the 1998 sequel with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson directing on a script she co-wrote with Sam Lansky, from a story she developed with Leah McKendrick. The new Last Summer cast is set to be led by Madelyn Cline, with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Prinze Jr. confirmed separately in September and December 2024.

Now, during a recent interview with Scale Talk Podcast with David Miniatures, Prinze Jr. was asked about his upcoming return for the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel. In addition to reaffirming he will be playing Ray again for the film, Prinze Jr. also confirmed that neither he nor Hewitt will be “the leads” of the new movie, instead teasing that they will be a driving force for the new cast of characters as they deal with the newest incarnation of The Fisherman killer. See what Prinze Jr. shared in the quote and video below:

She just took such good care of Love’s character, Julie James, and my character, Ray Bronson. They’re not the leads of the movie by any stretch of the imagination. [Kaytin Robinson] made them such a powerful pushing forward of the other cast. It’s not like, “Oh, here’s the Ray and Julie movie that we deserve.” That doesn’t even make sense. That guy’s dead. So it has to be a new generation. And the way she sort of laces us in there with them is just beautifully done. The script is wonderfully written.

In the wake of the major success of 2018’s Halloween, the legacy sequel structure quickly became one of the most popular in the horror genre, with everything from Candyman to The Exorcist receiving the same treatment. That said, they’ve all done something slightly different in their approaches to reviving their respective franchises, with David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy keeping Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode and her family at the forefront of its story, while most others have elected to focus on new characters while featuring cameos from legacy stars.

Just looking at Prinze Jr.’s comments above, it seems the legacy sequel playbook that I Know What You Did Last Summer will pull closer from is that of the recent Scream movies. Originally touted as following new characters, it was quickly established that the entire cast were relatives of characters from previous Scream installments, namely that Melissa Barrera’s Sam was the long-lost daughter of previous Ghostface, Billy Loomis. While legacy stars David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell, Marley Shelton, Skeet Ulrich and Heather Matarazzo made appearances, with varying impact, the new stars kept the focus.

With Prinze Jr. noting he and Hewitt won’t be the leads, it seems possible they could similarly be related to one or more of the new I Know What You Did Last Summer characters. Also intriguing is the fact that Prinze Jr. confirms that Ben Willis, the original Fisherman, is in fact dead, a point that was left semi-ambiguous in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer‘s ending when he appeared under Ray and Julie’s bed and pulled her underneath. Though the next movie will be a direct follow-up to the 1998 sequel, it seems pretty clear Ben won’t be a part of its story.

Our Take On I Know What You Did Last Summer’s Legacy Character Returns

Though I certainly am thrilled to not only have the confirmation that Ray and Julie will be back for I Know What You Did Last Summer‘s sequel, but that they’re not the leads, Prinze Jr.’s note that they’re “a powerful pushing forward” of the new cast does give me some concern for their fates. While it’s just as possible that he’s alluding to them proving emotional support to the new characters, particularly after having gone through the same situation years earlier, it leaves me just as concerned the movie may pull a page out of 2022’s Scream playbook and take out its legacy characters to keep audiences guessing.

Source: Scale Talk Podcast with David Miniatures

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I Know What You Did Last Summer follows a group of teenagers who accidentally cause a death and attempt to conceal it. A year later, they are pursued by a mysterious assailant targeting them individually, prompting a desperate search for assistance. Released in 2025, the thriller explores themes of guilt and survival.

Release Date

July 16, 2025

Cast

Madelyn Cline
, Sarah Pidgeon
, Tyriq Withers
, Jonah Hauer-King
, Chase Sui Wonders
, Freddie Prinze Jr.
, Billy Campbell
, Lola Tung
, Nicholas Alexander Chavez
, Austin Nichols
, Gabbriette
, Jennifer Love Hewitt

Character(s)

Uncredited
, Ray Bronson
, Julie James

Director

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Producers

Neal H. Moritz

Writers

Leah McKendrick

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