I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 Risks Repeating Scream 7’s Final Girl Return Problem

Summary Julie's return in I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 is crucial for the legacy sequel, but repeats Sidney's family issue in Scream 7.

The 1990s horror legacy will be reignited in 2025 with Scream 7 and I Know What You Did Last Summer 4.

The upcoming I Know What You Did Last Summer could see Julie's family at risk, just like Sidney's in Scream 7.

The upcoming I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel is starting to take shape, but if one character returns, the movie will be risking repeating Scream 7’s Final Girl problem. The horror genre continues to seize the wave of reboots and legacy sequels, and the latest franchise joining it is I Know What You Did Last Summer. Almost two decades after a failed direct-to-video sequel and four years after a TV series adaptation, the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise is coming back to life in 2025 with a legacy sequel, to be directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.

Back in 1997, I Know What You Did Last Summer introduced the audience to Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), and Barry Cox (Ryan Phillippe), who, a year after accidentally running over a man and getting rid of the body, begin to be stalked by a mysterious man wearing a fisherman’s coat and a hook. Julie and Ray returned in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer the following year and once again survived, so they’re expected to return in the fourth movie, but that would repeat Scream 7’s biggest problem.

Related I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel Is Already Getting The Previous Movies Wrong The sequel to I Know What You Did Last Summer is already getting the previous movies wrong, risking repeating the mistakes of the TV series.

I Know What You Did Last Summer's Legacy Sequel Wouldn't Be The Same Without Julie

Hewitt added that there’s “power in being older” and that Julie wouldn’t be vulnerable anymore like she was in the past movies.

Although the cast for I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 hasn’t been confirmed, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. are said to be in talks to reprise their roles as Julie and Ray – after all, they are the main survivors of the first two movies, and the second one saw them back together again, either engaged or already married. Speaking to ET in May 2024, Hewitt said I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 is “in the cooker”, and though she didn’t confirm her return she expressed her excitement at the possibility of playing Julie one more time.

Hewitt added that there’s “power in being older” and that Julie wouldn’t be vulnerable anymore like she was in the past movies, citing her own experience as a mother as part of that power. Over 20 years have passed since the audience last saw Julie and Ray, so it’s fair to assume they will have a family now, whether together or with other partners. Julie returning in I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 would make her a target and put her family at risk, which is the same issue Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) will face in Scream 7.

Julie’s Return In I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 Shares Sidney’s Family Problem In Scream 7

Sidney’s Return In Scream 7 Is A Lot Riskier Than It Seems

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Although plot details about Scream 7 remain unknown, it’s rumored to see the new Ghostface targeting Sidney and her family.

Scream 7 went through a major shakeup with Melissa Barrera’s firing, Jenna Ortega dropping out, and director Christopher Landon also leaving the project, but it’s back on track with franchise creator Kevin Williamson as director and Neve Campbell back as Sidney. Campbell had a minor role in Scream (2022), in which she returned to Woodsboro to help Gale (Courteney Cox), Dewey (David Arquette), Sam (Barrera), and Tara (Ortega) stop the new Ghostface killers. Campbell didn’t return in Scream 6 due to salary disputes, and though plot details about Scream 7 remain unknown, it’s rumored to see the new Ghostface targeting Sidney and her family.

Julie’s return in I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 would face the same issue, putting her family in great danger and ruining the happy ending she already had with Ray.

Scream 7 is rumored to feature a time jump so Sidney’s kids can have an active role in the story, which ruins her return as Sidney had already been given a happy ending. Scream 2022 revealed Sidney is now a mother, and Gale mentioned in Scream 6 that she, her husband Mark (Patrick Dempsey in Scream 3), and their kids had moved to a safe place, so she was finally given the peace she deserved after years of torment.

Julie’s return in I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 would face the same issue, putting her family in great danger and ruining the happy ending she already had with Ray. It’s worth noting that I Still Know What You Did Last Summer ended on one final jumpscare as the deceased Ben Willis appeared underneath Julie’s bed and pulled her under it, but this will have to be retconned in I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 if Julie returns.

Related I Know What You Did Last Summer Sequel Is Already Repeating 2 Horror Requel Problems A couple of details about the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel were revealed, showing that it's already repeating two horror requel mistakes.

Julie’s Return In I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 Makes 2025’s Horror Legacy Sequels Battle More Interesting

I Know What You Did Last Summer 4 vs Scream 7

Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore

This battle will be revived in 2025 with the release of Scream 7 and I Know What You Did Last Summer 4, and it will be made more exciting and interesting if Julie returns.

The 1990s saw the resurgence of the slasher genre, with Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer being key to its popularity. Scream is credited with revitalizing the genre, which I Know What You Did Last Summer absolutely seized. Despite not being able to match Scream’s positive critical reception, I Know What You Did Last Summer was a box office hit and became quite popular, thus contributing to revitalizing the slasher genre in the 1990s.

I Know What You Did Last Summer was released less than two months before Scream 2, creating a fun rivalry between them that divided the audience to decide which was the defining slasher of the decade. This battle will be revived in 2025 with the release of Scream 7 and I Know What You Did Last Summer 4, and it will be made more exciting and interesting if Julie returns. 2025 will most likely see the two main Final Girls of the 1990s in their long-awaited returns to their franchises and with similar storylines, defining which slasher franchise will win in the era of legacy sequels.

Source: ET.