Freddie Prinze Jr. isn’t confirmed for an I Know What You Did Last Summer return quite yet — but he promises he’s trying his best.
“Nothing’s a lock until there’s ink on paper, until the contract’s signed, but I’m definitely talking to them,” Prinze Jr., 48, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing his new film The Girl in the Pool. “And if we can make everything work — and I know they wanna make everything work, I know I wanna make everything work — then we’ll try and make it work. But we gotta make sure everyone’s schedules fit.”
He continued, “Everybody has to be happy with the script. I know Jen Robinson, the director [of the reboot], and I like Jen Robinson very much as a director and as a person. I think people like her are the future of this business. So there’s a lot of good things that make me want to do the movie.”
While Prinze Jr. emphasized that his return isn’t confirmed “until a contract or deal is done,” he does know that everyone involved is hoping to make it happen. “I’m motivated, I know they’re motivated. I know both sides are trying to make it work. And hopefully we do,” he said.
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Prinze Jr. played Ray in the 1997 horror film opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Phillippe and his now-wife, Sarah Michelle Gellar. The story follows four young friends who are bound by a tragic accident and find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town. The initial movie was penned by Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson and based on the 1973 novel of the same name from author Lois Duncan.
While Phillippe and Gellar didn’t make it to the sequel, Prinze Jr. and Hewitt, who played final girl (and Ray’s love interest) Julie, returned for I Still Know What You Did Last Summer the following year.
Both Prinze. Jr and Hewitt seemingly survived the second movie as well, with Ray and Julie revealed to be happily married after a time jump. However, the final moments leave audiences on a cliffhanger when Julie gets swept under her bed, screaming as a mysterious hook pulls her under.
Where fans would find Ray and Julie in 2024, Prinze Jr. said, is anyone’s guess. “I don’t know. I won’t know where we find them,” the actor told Us. “I don’t know what world they’re gonna play in. I just know that everybody’s trying to make it work.”
A third installment of the franchise was released in 2006, titled I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, but starred a brand-new cast and was only released as straight to video.While Prime Video attempted to reboot the franchise with a TV series in 2021, the show was canceled after one season.
Earlier this year, Sony announced that Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) would be directing a new reboot from a screenplay she cowrote with Sam Lansky, and that Prinze Jr. and Hewitt were in talks to reprise their roles. The movie will star Madelyn Cline and Camila Mendes, with Tony Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers and Jonah Hauer-King also in negotiations. The film is slated for a July 18, 2025 release.
Hewitt, who spoke with Us weeks before the new film was confirmed, said that she and Prinze Jr. are in a “holding period” as they wait to hear about their potential involvement, but the actress noted she believes they would both “definitely come back” if the story felt right.
“Listen, I loved doing those movies. There is nothing more fun than doing a horror movie. It’s the best,” she shared. “Julie James was awesome. I do think that there’s unfinished business there, and so I would be happy to do it.”
For now, Hewitt and Prinze Jr. are busy focusing on other projects. Hewitt is filming season 8 of her ABC hit 9-1-1, while Prinze Jr.’s new film The Girl in the Pool released on Friday, July 26. The story centers on Prinze Jr.’s Thomas, a man whose life collapses when his mistress (Brielle Barbusca) is found dead in his pool.
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Unlike his past characters — Ray included — Prinze Jr. was excited to get into the mind of someone who is less than morally upright.
“He’s like this beta personality that just can’t make a decision for himself,” Prinze Jr. told Us. “He’s undisciplined, he’s cheating on his wife. He’s in the middle of an affair. And all those are all horrible things. And I loved that. I thought that was exciting to get to show people that kind of a character and what I could do with it.”
The Girl in the Pool is now available on demand.
I Know What You Did Last Summer will hit theaters on July 18, 2025.
