Why Isn’t Ryan Phillippe in ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Sequel? Producer Explains His Absence

I Know What You Did Last Summer fans were ecstatic when it was announced that some original cast members would be returning for the 2025 legacy sequel, except one name was noticeably left off the list: Ryan Phillippe.

Phillippe portrayed Barry Cox in the first installment of the film franchise, which was released in 1997. He was part of the core group of friends, which also included Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar). The movie follows the foursome after they are involved in a hit-and-run that comes back to haunt them one year later. His character was ultimately killed by The Fisherman, and his body was stored in an icebox on a boat.

While Barry didn’t make it to the 1998 sequel I Still Know What You Did Last summer, one thing horror fans know is that just because a character is dead doesn’t mean they can’t return in some capacity. Case in point, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Helen was gruesomely killed off in the first film just to appear in a 2025 dream sequence.

Keep scrolling for the reason behind Phillippe’s absence from the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel.

‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Producer Reveals Why Ryan Phillippe Isn’t in Reboot

When it comes to Phillippe’s absence from the 2025 film, producer Neal H. Moritz’s answer was quite simple — Barry’s return just didn’t fit the narrative. He confessed that he felt like it “would’ve been pushing it” to bring the actor back during a July 2025 interview with People.

“It just got to be too much. We have a Barry Cox mention. He gets a shout-out,” Moritz told the outlet. “But, yeah, it started to feel like too many ideas. But it is not for a lack of love of Ryan — he is amazing. And I do think there is a very fun way to integrate Ryan into a sequel that I hope happens.”

Ryan Phillippe Addressed His Frequent Character Deaths

Phillippe spoke out about his character’s brutal murder in the original film and how death has been a common theme in a lot of the projects he’s appeared in over the years.

“I feel like I made the wrong move dying in all of these projects because then when they’re resurrected, I don’t get to be a part of them,” he said during a May 2025 episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast, referencing the deaths of his characters in Cruel Intentions and Big Sky in addition to IKWYDLS. “I used to think it was cool. I’m like, ‘If I could take a character to their last moment.’ Now, I’m like, ‘What are you thinking? No, you want to live in case there’s more movies to be made.’”

He continued, “But it’s cool to see that those films, those projects have endured — that had the impact culturally that they did — that they would want to revisit them. It definitely makes you feel like a dinosaur or aware of your age, but at the same time, it’s a compliment to something that you were a part of that succeeded.”

Ryan Phillippe Debunks Rumors Reese Witherspoon Got Him ‘IKWYDLS’ Role

Phillippe was quick to shoot down rumors that his ex-wife Reese Witherspoon helped him land a role in IKWYDLS in 1997.

In July 2025, Prime Video shared a post via Instagram, writing, “Reese Witherspoon auditioned for I Know What You Did Last Summer but changed her mind and withdrew. Instead, she recommended her then-boyfriend, Ryan Phillippe for the role of Barry.”

Phillippe replied, “Not sure that story is truuuuuue, but it’s very cute.😊.”

The former couple were married from 1998 to 2008.