Why I Know What You Did Last Summer Director Says 1998 Sequel "Killed the Franchise"

In the late 1990s, just when everyone thought the slasher genre was dead and buried, screenwriter Kevin Williamson swooped in and saved the day with a pair of back-to-back hits: 1996's Scream and 1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer (currently available on the SYFY app and airing on SYFY this weekend).

As we all know, the meta antics of Ghostface successfully launched an entire franchise that continues to this day (a seventh installment is currently in the works from Happy Death Day alum Christopher Landon). But what happened to Williamson's second slasher triumph? Why did the I Know What You Did Last Summer series peter out after a single sequel?

For More on I Know What You Did Last Summer:
The Ending of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Explained
I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer: The Slashing Sequel You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
7 Hook-Handed Facts You Might Not Know About I Know What You Did Last Summer

I Know What You Did Last Summer Director Thinks 1998 Sequel "Killed the Franchise"

Looking back on the original movie for its 20th anniversary back in 2017, I Know What You Did Last Summer director Jim Gillespie told Digital Spy that he initially said yes to directing a follow-up. However, since the studio wanted to release the second installment the following year, there was no time to develop a proper script.

"They wanted me to commit to a page-and-a-half outline, and I didn't like the outline," he recalled. "I thought it wasn't the right story. I didn't like the premise. It kind of killed the franchise a little bit. They had a chance to do something a bit different and for me it didn't work. That's why I said no, I couldn't commit to a page and a half with no guarantee that when we got to the script, I was going to like it."

Gillespie made the difficult decision to bow out, which led to the hiring of Danny Cannon (Judge Dredd, Geostorm), who forged ahead on production with a screenplay by Mercy Point co-creator Trey Callaway. Despite losing the original director and writer, 1998's I Still Know What You Did Last Summer featured the return of cast members Jennifer Love Hewitt (Julie Barnes), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Ray Bronson), and Muse Watson (Ben Willis).

"It was disappointing because Love Hewitt was signed on, I think she was contracted to do it [the sequel]," Gillespie continued. "She signed on because she thought I was directing it, and then I didn't. That upset her a bit. Which was fine, we were okay after that, but I know she was upset it wasn't going to be the same team. They put a lot more gore in the second one, deliberately so."

How Was I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Received By the Public?

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer failed to reach the box office heights of its predecessor and a critically-lambasted direct-to-video threequel (2006's I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer) didn't do the franchise any favors. The IP was briefly revived as a television series in 2021 before its cancellation after a single season.

But that's not the end of the story. With legacy sequels like Halloween (2018) and Scream (2022) softly rebooting classic properties to critical and financial success, Sony is looking to take another hook-handed stab at I Know What You Did Last Summer. Deadline was first to report that Love Hewitt and Prinze Jr. were in talks to reprise their characters for a "passing of the torch-type" revival directed by Thor: Love and Thunder co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The soft reboot is currently slated to hit theaters next July. 

"It honestly is wild to even think about," Hewitt remarked during a conversation with Entertainment Tonight. "If it truly comes together I don't even know how I'm gonna feel except extremely overwhelmed and grateful, but it's wild to think about... It's nice to know that people are excited at the possibility. I think it would be really fun if it came together."

I Know What You Did Last Summer and I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer are currently available to watch via the SYFY app. You can also catch the films on SYFY proper this weekend; click here for scheduling info!