'I Know What You Did Last Summer' sequel: the easter eggs, the fisherman, and iconic line

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" sequel is bringing back your favorites for another mystery killer on the loose, seeking revenge over a new set of teens running from the consequences of their past. Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt reprise their roles as Ray and Julie from the original 1997 slasher thriller film.

“It was really surreal to be able to act across these legends from the original,” Sarah Pidgeon told our reporter Courtney Tezeno during the film’s press junket.

The sequel introduces a new cast of teens, Ava (Chase Sui Wonders) returning to Southport, N.C., for her best friends Danica (Madelyn Cline) and Teddy’s (Tyriq Withers) engagement party, when she runs into her high school ex, Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), and old classmate Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon). The class reunion takes a turn for the worse while driving to watch fireworks on July 4th, when there’s another hit-and-run killing. The setting and the copycat killing that follows are spot on to the original.

“There is this pressure because you compare it to the original. But I think Jennifer, Kate, Robinson, our director, and Sam Lansky, who wrote it alongside her, I think they just did such an incredible job of honoring the original while still building upon the ideas that a modern audience can relate to,” Pidgeon said.

Each character is a nod to the original character, with Ava embodying a young Julie in the sequel. Wonders told us about “surreal” it felt to work with her childhood inspiration.

“I mean, Jennifer Love-Hewitt is an actress that I have loved for my entire life,” the actress, 29, told us. “Heartbreakers is one of my most-watched movies of my youth, so I've loved her forever.

“She’s such an iconic kind of, like untouchable character in the original, so definitely getting to kind of step into those shoes felt very scary and very daunting. But I think the pressure helped me just prepare and just made me feel like I got to put in work to live up to this legacy,” Wonders concluded.

Easter Eggs in the Sequel

The Core Themes in a Different Time Period

From the July 4 celebrations to the hit-and-run killing that sets off the fisherman killer’s plot, the horror films themes are a modern take on the original. Of course, the ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ letters are a must-have clue included. But the biggest easter eggs are the literal copycat killings by the fisherman that rip out a page from Ben Willis playbook, the original fisherman killer.

“I almost felt like the killer in the first one was more surprising, because it was not necessarily one of the group,” Cline revealed after discussing the clues leading up to the fisherman killer's big reveal.

Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Iconic One-Liner

Jennifer’s line, “What are you waiting for?” made the cut in the sequel with a little less screaming. The cast all agreed it was a nice touch for fans of the first horror film. Wonders added, “'It’s done so perfectly. It's like a perfect subversion from the OG.”

Another Pageant Queen Getting Stalked to the Death

“Sarah [Michelle Gellar] is an icon,” Madelyn Cline said about the actress who played the original Helen Shivers in the 1997 slasher film.

“You know, Helen [Shivers] is Danica, that's her blueprintDanica is Helen in another font,” Cline told us about the essence of her character.

Surprise Cameos from Iconic Characters in the Original Film(s)

We won’t spoil it, but just know there are some not-so-friendly ghosts and familiar friends who return in the present day. PRO TIP: Be sure to stay until after the end credits.

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" hits theaters July 18.