Jennifer Love Hewitt Revives Iconic Role in ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Sequel

Jennifer Love Hewitt makes her highly anticipated return to the ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ franchise this Friday. After nearly three decades, Hewitt once again steps into the shoes of Julie James in Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s new sequel (2025). The film sees Julie as a psychology professor specializing in trauma, still haunted by her past encounters with the murderous fisherman, Ben Willis (Muse Watson). But when an Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders) visits with a horrifyingly familiar problem, Julie is drawn back into the nightmare once again.

– After nearly three decades, Jennifer Love Hewitt has reprised her role as Julie James in the latest sequel of the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise.
– The film sees Julie, now a psychology professor specializing in trauma, face a vengeful copycat of her previous attacker from the original films.
– Hewitt notes that she wanted her return to the franchise to offer something more than just nostalgia, wanting her character to matter to the audience.

Jennifer Love Hewitt’s highly anticipated return to the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise is occurring after nearly 30 years. On Friday, fans will see her reprising her role as Julie James in Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) sequel. The new movie introduces Julie as a psychology professor who specializes in trauma and leads a quiet life after surviving two instances of attacks from the killer fisherman Ben Willis.

Julie’s peaceful existence soon faces a threat when Ava Brucks approaches her with a familiar problem. A vengeful copycat of the Fisherman starts threatening Ava and her friends in Julie’s hometown of Southport, North Carolina.

The decision to reprise her role needed a lot of deliberation from Hewitt. The actress noted her initial hesitance, only wanting to go ahead with the move if it was for more than just a 90s nostalgia moment, and that her character contributes significantly to the storyline.

For Hewitt, revisiting the character involved watching the initial films with her children, analyzing the character arc and how it could be further developed in the new installment. However, during her scrutiny, she also noticed that the ending of the Robinson’s series makes sense and is connected in some way to the first films. This hint added a layer of intrigue for fans, and it ensured that the new installation retains its connection to the original series.

Jennifer Love Hewitt also reflected on her character’s famous line, “What are you waiting for, huh?” during a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, and the thought process behind using it in a fresh context for the new film.

While the newer cast replaced the familiar faces from the 90s franchise, Hewitt found herself taking on a nurturing role off-camera, particularly with Chase Sui Wonders who plays Ava in the film.

The new film ends on a shocking note, something that had left a strong impression on Hewitt. Despite the initial surprise, she found that the ending made sense in the overall storyline’s context, especially after revisiting the older films.

The promotional trailer for the film did bring back Julie’s iconic line, and Hewitt noted that it had to be used in the new installment, but in a fresh and relevant manner.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) is set to open on July 18 in movie theaters nationwide.