With the legacy sequel “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (same title, different movie) less than a month away from release, franchise stalwart Jennifer Love Hewitt sat down with Extra to discuss her return to the series — a return that she says she never expected.
“When I heard it was happening, I think my honest reaction was, ‘Oh my gosh. That’s great for them.’ I never pictured them even asking me to do it,” Hewitt said. For the “9-1-1” star, her reprisal of Julie James serves as a bridge between the generation that embraced the first movie and younger audiences.
“I have confidence that the moms who are buying those tickets for their daughters to see the movie are there because they remember who Julie was, and they’re where I am now, and we carry that with pride,” Hewitt explained. “And so… their kids will love all the young people in the movie and I’m there for the moms.”
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The original film, based on the classic teen novel by Lois Duncan (who had her own fascinating backstory), found a group of teenagers pursued by a masked killer with a hook the summer after they struck a man with a car then coveted it up. Hewitt is being careful not to divulge details about the new “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” leaving it at: “I could tell you it’s called ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer,’ there’s a… killer in it, and a hook and Julie James. That’s what I could say.”
Hewitt credits the reboot’s existence to one of the original horror movie “Final Girls.”
“[I’m] so psyched for Neve [Campbell] and… all the people in these franchises who are… coming back and doing these things. It’s really cool. I mean, Jamie Lee Curtis… paved the way for all of us to be able to do 119 of these and continue doing them into our 60s and still be badasses,” Hewitt said. “[Curtis] deserves all the credit. Like, it’s so cool, and the rest of us just get to follow.”
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” hits theaters on July 18. Watch the trailer below:
