A new American Pie movie is in the works. The comedy franchise started with the first American Pie film in 1999, which saw a group of four high school boys played by Jason Biggs, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Chris Klein, and Eddie Kay Thomas make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. Written by Adam Herz and directed by Paul Weitz, the film became popular due to its sheer irreverence and raucous depiction of teens coming of age. The over-the-top, raunchy comedy also starred Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Jennifer Coolidge, and Eugene Levy as some of the franchise's most memorable characters.
The film went on to spawn three sequels in over a decade - American Pie 2, American Wedding, and American Reunion, with a fifth movie announced in 2012 reportedly still in development. The franchise also spawned five straight-to-video spinoffs, including 2005's American Pie Presents: Band Camp and 2020's American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules. Despite the poor reception of the STV spinoffs, American Pie spawned a legacy that included over-the-top teen comedies such as 2002's Van Wilder and 2006's Accepted. Since American Pie 5 has been in development for a decade, fans are eager for news about the franchise.
Now, Universal makes a surprising announcement. In an exciting update for fans of the franchise, The Hollywood Reporter reveals a new American Pie film is in the works, based on an "original pitch" by Sujata Day. Day, who has previously starred in Insecure and wrote, directed, and acted in the 2020 film Definition Please, will develop and write the new installment in the comedy franchise. Though no plot details have been divulged yet, Day's foray into the long-standing franchise was described as a "fresh take," meaning that it will likely mark a departure from the core group and tell a new story set in the American Pie universe.
What To Expect From The New American Pie
After the long wait for American Pie 5, it's exciting that Universal has officially confirmed a return to the franchise with an original story. Though it's not clear whether Day's American Pie film will focus on teens or adults, as American Wedding and American Reunion did, it's likely that the franchise's trademark irreverence and crude humor will be present. Given Day's impressive track record and previous projects, it's possible that the new American Pie will feature some rich intersectionality, given Definition Please's acclaimed explorations of race and mental illness. The description of a creative take on the source material hints that Day's American Pie film will go in some unexpected directions, which will likely come as a pleasant surprise to viewers used to the franchise's many sequels.
Though the American Pie Presents spinoffs weren't widely successful, there is huge comedic potential to mine in the franchise's through-line of teens and adults coming to terms with their sexualities and the loss of innocence and youth. With rising filmmaker Day attached, the new American Pie film is an encouraging direction for a franchise that many, including one of its stars (Scott), have described as not aging well. While fans await more details about Day's foray into the American Pie franchise, perhaps news will also be released about the still in development American Pie 5, reportedly produced by American Pie Reunion and Cobra Kai co-creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.
Source: THR