I Know What You Did Last Summer 3 Director, Writer, Possible Returning Cast And More Details

In the fall of 1997, you'd have been hard-pressed to find a movie as well-loved as the summery slasher flick "I Know What You Did Last Summer." Set largely in an idyllic seaside town, the film follows a group of four high school friends — era icons Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Ryan Phillipe, and Sarah Michelle Gellar — whose lives are turned upside down when one night of partying leads to a tragic accident, and a fateful pact to keep the resulting crime a secret. One year later, they're stunned to receive anonymous notes proclaiming the titular phrase and are soon stalked by a masked, fish-hook-wielding killer.

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" is based on Lois Duncan's beloved young adult thriller of the same name, with "Scream" mastermind Kevin Williamson adapting the tale for the screen. The film boasted box office success similar to "Scream," with the sequel "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" arriving just over a year after the original's release. A third, straight-to-video offering was released in 2006 and Amazon attempted to reboot the story via a streaming series in 2021. 

However, it seems Hollywood is not done with "I Know What You Did Last Summer" just yet. As Deadline has reported, a new film is now in the works at Sony Pictures Entertainment to carry on the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" franchise. Here's everything you need to know.

Not much is actually known about the new "I Know What You Did Last Summer" movie, as it's still in the early stages of production. But we do know it's being tabbed as a legacy sequel to the first two films in the franchise, hence the working title "I Know What You Did Last Summer 3." As for it being labeled the third in the series instead of 2006's "I Will Always Know What You Did Last Summer," it's because that film had no ties to the original narrative or any of the characters therein. And the Amazon series was a ground-up reboot.

If you've seen either, you know they both arguably failed to capture the ominous slasher silliness of the first two films. And if you're a fan of those originals, you'll no doubt be curious to see if the upcoming sequel will be able to manage that tricky narrative task. Unfortunately, we don't know when you'll get the chance to find out, as there's been no official word from Sony Pictures brass about when the film might be hitting theaters. 

Despite not knowing when the next chapter in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" franchise will arrive, it seems there has been a bit of news about who Sony Pictures bosses want to star in the film. As the next chapter is being touted as a legacy sequel to the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" franchise, Deadline is reporting that Sony execs are eyeing original stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. to return.

The actors portrayed Julie James and Ray Bronson, respectively, in the first two "I Know What You Did Last Summer" movies, and are the only two main characters who managed to survive both. The original films, of course, helped make stars of both actors in the late-'90s, though each has seen their share of career ups and downs in the years since. Nonetheless, they both continue to have incredibly strong fanbases who would no doubt love to see them back in the slasher action. 

However, in March 2023, Freddie Prinze Jr. told ComicBook.com that he hadn't actually been offered anything yet. As he put it, "I sat with the director and, and she pitched me a cool idea. But we'll see like that. I haven't read any script, and I haven't received any offer." But Jennifer Love Hewitt is definitely game, as she told the "Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum" podcast, "I loved making those movies. I'd do it. For sure."

How "I Know What You Did Last Summer 3" plans to work Julie James and Ray Bronson back into the mix is anybody's guess. When last we saw them in "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer," they'd narrowly survived the wrath of Ben Willis for a second time, doing so amid a blood-spattered vacation to the Bahamas. The final moments of that film pulled the rug out from under a happily married Julie and Ray, alluding that the Willis faction may not be completely out of play.

Of course, those chilling final moments might have been just another nightmare endured by Julie. Perhaps more importantly, given the climax of "I Still Know," writers have their work cut out for them in conjuring a satisfying killer this go-round, as both Ben Willis and his son met bloody ends in that film. Unlike the "Scream" franchise, the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" team will also not have quite as much of a meta-bent to use as a narrative crutch, so it should be fascinating to see how they approach the story of the new film.

As reported by Deadline, the good news is that producers have hired a talented writing and directing tandem to bring the new film to fruition. Leah McKendrick has been tapped to pen the script for "I Know What You Did Last Summer 3," while Jennifer Kaytin Robinson will be claiming the director's chair.

As for McKendrick, she's perhaps best known as an actor, having earned credits in "Bad Moms," "All I Need," and "Criminal Minds." McKendrick has also written scripts for "M.F.A." (which she also starred in), and the not-yet-released comedy "Scrambled," which she also directed. 

Robinson's name should be well-known to MCU fans as she co-wrote "Thor: Love and Thunder. She also penned the screenplay for 2020's underrated indie "Unpregnant," and directed Netflix's 2019 comedy "Someone Great," as well as the streamer's recent hit, "Do Revenge."

Given their collective talent, it's safe to assume McKendrick and Robinsons are set to cook up something fun with "I Know What You Did Last Summer 3." And we cannot wait to see where they take the franchise.