It’s been quite some time already since Sony announced its goal of producing an I Know What You Did Last Summer remake by 2016. It was rumored that the slasher flick was on “the fast track,” but really it seems that things aren’t progressing as quickly as some of us may have hoped. One thing we do know, though, is that Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard – the guys who brought us Oculus in 2013 – have been hired to pen the screenplay. It’ll be interesting to see what new elements include and if they use any of the source material closer to Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel.
Neal H. Moritz (original I Know What You Did Last Summer, Prom Night remake) is tapped to produce.
One of the biggest questions in relation to this upcoming title is: who is going to play the lead and supporting cast. I know there are some readers who will violently disagree, but I feel there was something so iconic about Hewitt, Prinze, Gellar and Phillippe’s performances in I Know What You Did Last Summer. While it is unclear which characters will surface again and who will play them, there are a few girls who are rumored to be in the running for the lead role of Julie James.
According to Movie News Guide and Inquisitr – not the most trustworthy sources, I know – three of the four actresses are teen queens and singers and the other is a newcomer, who may be the most worthy contender! The four women currently being considered are:
Selena Gomez: When not dating Justin Bieber, she is a singer who released a #1 album, “Stars Dance,” in 2013 which went Gold after being fueled by top ten hits “Come & Get It” and “The Heart Wants What It Wants.” She is also an actress known for playing the lead role of Alex Russo on Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” from 2007 to 2012 as well as appearing in Spring Breakers (2012).
Lucy Hale: She first came to fame as 1/5 of American Juniors, a band of youngsters formed during the “American Idol” spin-off in 2003. The band quickly disbanded a year later, but Hale found success of her own as a solo singer in 2014 with her #4 country album, “Road Between,” and top 40 single “You Sound Good to Me.” She currently stars as Aria Montgomery on “Pretty Little Liars,” a show that has ran on ABC Family since 2010, and she does have some horror experience with small roles in Fear Island (2009) and Scream 4 (2011).
Victoria Justice: Although her second leading show, “Eye Candy,” was just cancelled by MTV, Justice has had a long career in entertainment already. She first appeared as a supporting actress in Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101” from 2005 to 2008 before headlining her own show titled “Victorious” from 2010 to 2013. Through the show, she released three soundtrack albums and nine promotional singles. She attempted to launch a solo career on her own in 2013 with single “Gold,” but it failed to chart and her debut album has been shelved indefinitely.
Maika Monroe: She’s not a professional singer, but she is a professional kiteboarder! Maika is an up and coming actress in Hollywood and the contender with the most amount of horror credibility. She’s appeared in low budget titles like Bad Blood (2006), Bad Blood 2: The Hunger (2012) and Flying Monkeys (2013). She also played the lead role of Jay Height in 2015’s horror hit, It Follows.
My personal opinion? I don’t think any of the first three singer/actresses should get the role. They’re far too Hollywood, even though that’s what big executives like when making PG-13 horror remakes. I think that Maika Monroe is the best choice as of this casting rumor. She’s still very much the “girl next door” and doesn’t seem too shy about getting bloody. Could I picture her as Julie James? I don’t know, but I guess we’ll have to wait a few more months to see what happens!
