Hewitt reprises her role as Julie James and exclusively told PEOPLE in April that she gives her stamp of approval on the character's evolution in the 2025 sequel.
Jennifer Love Hewitt was unmissable in all-black at the I Know What You Did Last Summer premiere at the United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles on Monday, July 14.
The actress, 46, wore an ankle-length, form-fitting Rachel Gilbert Embellished dress with 3-D jeweled beading for a completely eye-catching look. Her matching black pumps featured textured silver accents.
And while Hewitt's character may be a brunette bombshell, the IKWYDLS alum rocked ginger-toned tresses on the red carpet with a smokey eye for her glam. She wore multiple rings on each hand, with one of her wrists showing off mixed-metal bracelets.
The long-awaited sequel, which picks up after the events of 1998's I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and the 1997 original installment with the same name, sees the return of Hewitt's good-girl character, Julie James, who can't seem to escape her troubled past.
The new movie, which opens in theaters on Friday, July 18, follows five friends who "inadvertently cause a deadly car accident" before "cover[ing] up their involvement and mak[ing] a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences," according to Sony Pictures.
However, "a year later, their past comes back to haunt them and they're forced to confront a horrifying truth: someone knows what they did last summer...and is hell-bent on revenge. As one by one the friends are stalked by a killer, they discover this has happened before, and they turn to two survivors of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997 for help."
The 2025 premiere comes 28 years after Hewitt walked the red carpet on Oct. 8, 1997, for the Hollywood premiere of I Know What You Did Last Summer at the GCC Galaxy Theatre. There, the film's final girl standing paired a '90s grunge makeup look with a sleek black and floral strapless mini dress, strappy black sandals and a slicked-back updo.
While Hewitt was all smiles on the red carpet on Monday, the actress did have some reservations going into filming the new installment in the slasher franchise. "I had total anxiety for 48 hours before [filming] because I was like, 'Can I do this? Am I going to pull this off?' It's a lot of pressure," Hewitt exclusively told PEOPLE in April.
Still, the Criminal Minds star said she gave her "stamp of approval" on how her character has evolved, 28 years after the events of the first film. The 9-1-1 actress added that "as a female in Hollywood, in your 40s, sometimes you can feel forgotten about." She felt "really touched emotionally and honored that Sony would have me back, that the franchise would have me back, that Jen wanted me back, and that the audience wanted me back. It really felt like an honor. Stepping into her shoes again was really fun."
Hewitt also reunited on-screen with costar Freddie Prinze Jr., 49, who returned in the new sequel as Ray Bronson.
The duo will help guide a new group of terrified teens. These fresh faces include Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio), Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks), Sarah Pidgeon (The Wilds), Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid) and Tyriq Withers (Him).
While speaking with PEOPLE, Hewitt said the new cast is "phenomenal" and that the experience felt like passing the baton. "It's for them to make it their own and for me to stand by like a proud mom and say, 'It's yours now, take it and run and enjoy.' "
Even though it's been nearly 30 years, the film will still include plenty of nostalgic callbacks and Easter eggs from the '90s. The Golden Globe nominee teased in April, "There's lots of twists and turns. I don't think people are going to expect anything that's coming. It's a really fun ride."