Summary
Nancy Thompson (Heather Lagenkamp), Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) are iconichorrormovie final girls who are brought up in every conversation. However, as a big fan of the cheesy 1990s filmI Know What You Did Last Summer, I have a soft spot for Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt). She stands up for herself, is a good friend, and does her best to fight back against a slasher killer wearing a black cape and wielding a scary hook.
I’m intrigued by theI Know What You Did Last Summerlegacy sequel, which is being released on July 18th, 2025, especially sincethe Amazon Prime Video series wasn’t scaryor particularly engaging. Now that fans have seen a behind the scenes image of the upcoming slasher movie,I’m thinking about what Julie James’s plotline could beand hoping that she gets the great story she deserves.
What Could Julie James’s I Know What You Did Last Summer Storyline Be?
After fans gota fun first look at the iconic hook, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who is directing theI Know What You Did Last Summerlegacy sequel,shared a behind-the-scenes image on her Instagram account. Since the image showsa letter addressed to Julie James, it seems likely thatthe killer is targeting Julie once again and inviting her to play their game.
There are a fewways thatJulie could be connected to the new, younger cast members. On the one hand, it would make sense if Julie was living somewhere else since she didn’t want to be reminded of the terrifying summer she spent being hunted by a killer in her small town. But on the other hand, she might still live in her hometown because she thought the threat was over. Perhaps Julie is a parent now and one or two of the young actors play her teenage kids. SinceFreddie Prinze Jr. is also reprising his role of Ray Bronson,Ray and Julie may be still together and could have a family.
Julie could also be a high school teacher in her hometown who has bonded with one or more oftheI Know What You Did Last Summercast members, which would give her a good entry point into the main story. This could be a good avenue because it would allow fans to see Julie again while still making the new characters the focal point.
Whether Julie is in a lot of scenes or appears in theI Know What You Did Last Summersequel briefly,the new movie needs the nostalgia factorof older characters like Julie, Ray, and hopefully, Karla Wilson (Brandy). I think the new killer should send Julie several notes and each one should serve as a big clue that helps her solve the mystery. While this element was part of the original movie,the classic horror trope of a killer sending intended victims notes and text messagescould be explored more in the legacy sequel. Since this would mean using cell phones as part of the plot, this would be a fun and easy way for theI Know What You Did Last Summersequel to include technology.
Finally, I think Julie’s status as ahorror movie final girlshould be front and center. While I’m looking forward to getting to know the new characters,I want to see Julie as a confident adult. I think she can take everything she has learned from the past few decades and confront the new killer. Julie should also figure out some of the mysteries hidden in the notes from the killer and impress her younger peers.
What Did Jennifer Love Hewitt Say About Starring In I Know What You Did Last Summer?
While talking about how great it would be if she played Julie James again in the upcomingI Know What You Did Last Summerlegacy sequel,Jennifer Love Hewitt said she was “terrified” while filming the original movie. In an interview withEntertainment Tonightin 2024, she said that after shooting scenes where the killer was chasing her, she would have trouble sleeping.
As forthe corny sequel,I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Hewitt said, “It was fun.”
“I got to make her tougher. She’d been through so much already and she wasn’t quite as vulnerable as she was in the first one. It was just silly, and fun, and we got to go to Mexico, and Jack Black was in it. It was just the best.”
