Sarah Michelle Gellar Harassed to Return for ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Sequel

by

The gentle winds of summer might or might not stir within Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s thoughts, but it’s clear that the director of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer‘ found it impossible to persuade a beloved actress to reappear in the upcoming sequel. In truth, Robinson persistently tried to convince Sarah Michelle Gellar to repeat her role from the 1997 film, even though Ben Willis, alias the malevolent Fisherman (Muse Watson), had killed her character Helen Shivers in the original storyline. Robinson shared this information in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

In a persistent attempt, I made every effort, yet tragically, Sarah is no longer alive. Yes, I persisted, and at times, I may have crossed boundaries. But it’s too late now, as Sarah is gone. I even proposed some outlandish ideas, such as suggesting that she wasn’t truly dead, but hiding instead. However, Sarah made it clear that she was indeed deceased, stating, “I am Sarah Gellar, Dead.

During the festivities of the Croaker Beauty Pageant, an unfortunate turn of events finds Helen suddenly and unexpectedly confronted in a dank and dim alleyway by a vengeful murderer. Despite her proximity to escape, the young woman meets a tragic end, reducing the number of targets on the Fisherman’s deadly list to just Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and her former boyfriend Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.). Helen, a cherished character in the fanbase of I Know What You Did Last Summer, might not have been able to save the upcoming sequel’s success even with her return. The movie is set to hit theaters this summer.

Will Fans Be Hooked to See ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ in Theaters?

It remains uncertain if fans of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” will pay for tickets to watch Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s sequel in theaters. To be honest, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character Helen Shivers might not have significantly impacted the film’s box office earnings. In reality, despite Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprising their roles from the 1997 film and its underwhelming 1998 sequel, “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” there doesn’t appear to be much enthusiasm for the upcoming movie, at least based on responses to the trailer release.

The long-awaited trailer for “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was shared on social media on August 22nd. Despite being the 11th most popular video on YouTube right now, it’s only garnered about 806,811 views and has been up for over 24 hours. This isn’t a good sign for the upcoming slasher sequel because it suggests that fans aren’t showing much interest. In contrast, the trailer for Season Two of “Wednesday” was released today (August 23rd), and it’s already racked up nearly 2.5 million views in just 11 hours. Similarly, the trailer for “Predator: Badlands” has been online for only eight hours so far, and it’s already drawn over 2.2 million viewers.

Regrettably, the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” series has failed to captivate a significant audience over the years. None of its iterations, including the two movies, the direct-to-video production, and the TV show, have received Tomatometer scores exceeding 48%, largely due to negative critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. What’s disheartening is that the horror franchise hasn’t fared well with audiences either. Remarkably, the highest rating was given to “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” which earned a decent “B” from CinemaScore. One of the issues lies in the significant differences between Lois Duncan’s 1973 YA novel “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and the screen adaptation that debuted in 1997, with many fans finding the latter lacking compared to the original book.

Despite earning $125.6 million globally initially, the original film wasn’t as successful financially in its sequel. The follow-up titled “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” made more during its opening weekend than the original, but unfortunately, it didn’t fare well internationally, accumulating only $40 million in total. Notably, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr.’s characters from the 1997 and 1998 films were absent in both “I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer” (2006) and the 2021 adaptation on Prime Video. Luckily, Julie (Hewitt) and Ray (Prinze Jr.) will return for the sequel set to release in 2025, hitting theaters on July 18th. However, with a production budget of $15 million to $20 million, it remains to be seen if their presence can generate enough revenue to cover these costs.

Sources: EW, Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes

Read More

2025-04-24 15:36