The slasher legacy sequel pipeline is still apparently chock full of new iterations, even after 2022’s surprisingly effective Scream reboot gave us a lasting satire on the shallowness of “requel” culture. Be that as it may, it was never going to stop studios from producing new horror legacy sequels of any film that still has lasting name recognition, and that meant another I Know What You Did Last Summer was always going to be in the cards. The series may have always lived in Scream‘s shadow, but in many ways the 1997 original is still a deeply charming throwback to return to today: Much more classical early ’80s slasher (a wronged figure from the past returns for vengeance) in its structure than other meta slashers of the ’90s. And the new 2025 reboot of the franchise looks very much to be keeping with this tradition–while returning the surviving legacy characters to the fore, of course. You can check out today’s new trailer below, for our longest look yet at the new Southport slayer. The official synopsis, meanwhile, is as follows:
When five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. A year later, their past comes back to haunt them and they’re forced to confront a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did last summer … and is hell-bent on revenge. As one by one the friends are stalked by a killer, they discover this has happened before, and they turn to two survivors of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997 for help.
So basically … exactly what you would expect from a modern I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel reboot. Two of the primary cast members here already do have some experienced being menaced by a killer and throwing accusations around: Front and center is Madelyn Cline, who was memorably among the suspect pool in Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion, and she’s supported by Chase Sui Wonders, who was one of the titular bodies of Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies. They’re joined by Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, Austin Nichols and the now age-worn faces of Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt for that authentic ’90s panache. Will they have the guts to kill off any of their most famous faces? Let’s hope so.
The new trailer below depicts the film’s slasher killer–typically referred to simply as “the fisherman” by fans of the franchise–out for another cryptic, bloody rampage, with his signature hook in hand. We’ll find out who lives and who dies as it plows into summer blockbuster season and U.S. theaters on July 18, 2025.
