Sarah Michelle Gellar has revealed that she turned down an opportunity to return for the I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel. Despite her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., reprising his role as Ray Bronson, and Jennifer Love Hewitt returning as Julie James, Gellar’s character, Helen Shivers, will not be making a surprise comeback.
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Helen was killed off in the first film, and though the sequel’s director, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, “tried relentlessly” to get Gellar back, she had to respect the character’s demise. Robinson shared that she even pitched an idea in which Gellar’s character was miraculously brought back to life but was met with resistance. Gellar humourously dismissed the idea, firmly stating, “I am dead. I am Sarah Dead Gellar.”
Although Gellar will not return as a main character, she does appear briefly in the movie’s new trailer, where the graves of Helen and her sister Elsa are shown. This scene serves as a nod to her character’s legacy, while the focus remains on the new group of friends terrorised by the hook-wielding killer.
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The sequel follows a similar premise to the original 1997 film, with five friends being stalked a year after covering up a deadly car accident. They seek help from the two survivors of the 1997 Southport Massacre—Ray and Julie. In addition to Hewitt and Prinze Jr., the new slasher will feature Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, and others in key roles.
