Fans of the iconic American Pie series should rejoice, as a new film is under development. Slated to be released by Universal 1440 Entertainment, the project is said to be a “fresh take” on the franchise, though what that entails has yet to be disclosed.
Universal's original 1999 American Pie received mixed reviews but found success among audiences. The coming-of-age sex comedy centered around five teenage boys and their attempts to lose their virginities. It starred names such as Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Sean William Scott, Eugene Levy, The Watcher star Jennifer Coolidge, and John Cho. Eventually, it resulted in three sequels with the core cast and five spinoff films bearing the moniker "American Pie Presents."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a new installment of the American Pie series is in the works. This project is based on an original take submitted by Sujata Day, who will also be penning the script. Day is an up-and-coming filmmaker who directed the film Definition Please, in which she also acted (Day could also be seen in front of the camera on HBO's Insecure). Plot details are scarce, and it’s unclear whether this new take will be a full-on reboot or if it will continue with the previous cast.
It’s been ten years since the original cast returned for the aptly titled American Reunion, in which the original characters came back for a high school reunion. As the original cast approaches their fifties or so, it’s possible the franchise will take on a new form as part of this new “fresh take” and focus on their lives as they age. However, given that it’s primarily a coming-of-age franchise, it’s also possible that a new cast could be introduced.
Sex comedies have somewhat fallen by the wayside in recent years. At least in terms of cinematic fare, the genre has sporadically released new entries, and few have really made a splash. The genre seems more lively in terms of television, however. With shows such as The Sex Lives of College Girls and Netflix comedy Sex Education having their day in the limelight, it seems that recently the genre has found more success on the small screen than on the silver screen.
It will be interesting to see what this new American Pie film ends up becoming. Should it succeed, it could feature the revival of sex comedies as a viable genre of film, and it’ll be interesting to see what Day has up her sleeve - her pitch seems to have impressed executives.
American Pie (1999) is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter