Freddie Prinze Jr. says he hopes to return to the I know what you did last summer sequel and is working to close a deal to reprise his role.
Chatting with ET’s Nischelle Turner about her new film, The Girl in the Poolthe 48-year-old actor provided fans with an update on where negotiations stand and whether or not he will return to the recently announced the sequel to the 1997 horror classic. In February 2023, ET confirmed that Sony Pictures was in the early stages of developing a project that would hopefully feature the return of Prinze Jr.’s Ray Bronson and Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Julie James.
The original film follows four young friends — Prinze Jr. and Hewitt included — who are brought together by a tragic accident and reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town. The sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summerwas released a year later in 1998. The actor told ET that he’s still on the table and working on it for fans.
“I think both sides — them and I — are super motivated to do this. My friend is directing the movie,” he said of director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who wrote and directed the 2022 film. Take revengewhich Sarah Michelle Gellar — Prinze Jr.’s wife of 22 years — starred. Additionally, writer Leah McKendrick has been tapped to pen the script for the new IKWYDLS film, Deadline reported in 2023. Prinze Jr. says he’s further motivated by his relationship with Robison. “She was the one who reached out to me a year ago, before the studio even started talking, like, ‘Would you — could you please do this?'”
The live action Scooby Doo star added, “Negotiations are weird. One week they’re going really well and the next week they’re going really bad. We haven’t had a bad week, so there could be a bad week (coming). I have no idea, but I don’t really get too involved in it until a contract is signed.”
That said, there is still hope that the negotiations could result in a productive and positive resolution. According to Prinze Jr., the negotiations are bolstered by the strong script — which he can’t share anything about. “I read a script, I probably shouldn’t have said this, but, yes, I read a script,” the actor shared.
As for where his character, Ray Bronson, would be today, Prinze Jr. says he can’t share much, not even his opinion on what Ray’s life is like now, nearly three decades later.
“I don’t want to go into details about character and story because that would ruin it for a lot of people and I hate it,” he said. “I don’t even watch trailers — I hate spoiling movies.”
Hypothetically speaking, though, he has thoughts about whether he and Julie (Hewitt) would still be surviving and thriving today. I Still Know What You Did Last SummerJulie and Ray reconcile and eventually get engaged and married — finally finding their happy ending after surviving horror after horror. Prinze Jr. says he’s not so sure the traumatic bond between the young couple would have been strong enough to sustain a decades-long relationship and marriage.
“I mean, they’ve been through a pretty traumatic experience. If they could survive that and stay together, they’d be a better couple than me and my wife in real life,” he said, laughing.
In May, ET sat down with Hewitt45, who revealed all the details (or at least the ones she knows) and explained why she is scared to return for a third film in the franchise. According to the 9-1-1 actress, the fear comes from the fact that it has been “26 years”.
Despite her fears, Hewitt said that if the third film is released, she is ready to bring Julie “back with 26 years of angst, knowledge, excitement, which I am turning into one word, and have some fun.”
We think it’s time for her to put her fears aside and get to work! Same thing with Prinze Jr. — they’re certainly kill this!
As for Prinze Jr.’s current project, The Girl in the Poolthe actor told ET that after many years away from the horror and thriller genre, he decided that this would be the film that would mark his triumphant return. The film also stars Paternity former student Monica Potter — who is she? She is all that actor previously worked in 2001 Upside down — as well as Kevin Pollack and Brielle Barbusca.
The Girl in the Pool follows Prinze Jr. as Thomas, a husband who is forced to endure a surprise party thrown for him by his wife and children moments after hiding his lover’s murdered body in their home. Potter, 53, stars as Thomas’s wife.
The actor says he was intrigued by the film’s concept and unique script, which tackled a dark and deeply unfunny subject in a comedic way.
“The script was really weird — I saw all this dark humor in it and the director and I were really nervous that no one would laugh because it’s a thriller at its core, but it had all these opportunities for this dark, weird humor because the stakes are there,” he said. “It’s equal parts absurd and serious.”
“I’ve never read a script where the protagonist just makes bad decisions and you still have to care,” he said. “It’s a lot, he screws up a lot.”
The role was a delightful challenge for the veteran actor, who said he found it thrilling (pun intended) to break the mold he’s usually cast in.
“Actors get excited about that kind of thing because, you know, usually the roles I play, they’re perfect guys who make all the right decisions and you love them for that. So when you get the opportunity to be the exact opposite of what you’ve always been, any actor would be excited,” he shared.
Watch the movie trailer in the player below:
The Girl in the Pool is now in theaters and on demand.
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