It’s hard to believe that American Pie debuted twenty years ago. It seems like just yesterday that we were all entertained by wild band camp stories and hilarious advice from Jim’s awkward dad. Two decades later, the iconic R-rated comedy has spawned three sequels and countless spinoffs. It’s the inspiration for numerous movies that have come after it as well and has a loyal base of fans who are still eagerly awaiting the release of American Pie 5.
Whether or not the fifth installment of the franchise ever actually comes to fruition remains to be seen, though. The follow-up to the well-received American Reunion was announced way back in 2012 following the movie’s domestic success. After seven years, however, audiences are still waiting on a next chapter and Sean William Scott, who plays Steve Stifler in the series, recently offered his thoughts on if we’ll ever get to see where the gang ends up, saying:
“I love those guys so much. And like, obviously, if I was worried about being typecast, I wouldn’t have done four of those movies. I just don’t know if there’s an appetite for that genre of films. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are killing it. They’re consistently, every time they put out a movie, it’s not only awesome, but they’re successful. So thank God for them because they’re keeping a hope that we can continue to make R-rated comedies, but unfortunately, It’s not a genre of films that have really been working. In fact, obviously, it’s been horror movies and psychological thrillers. I just think it’s always funny to see Stifler at different stages of his life. So to see him in his mid-forties just sounds really funny to me. But I don’t know. I haven’t really heard anything.”
The last flick made $234 million worldwide, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but it’s true that the appetite for these types of movies might’ve died down since then. Looking back on the first American Pie, there are some moments that definitely wouldn’t be received well in today’s culture and an overtly sexual comedy revolving around a primarily white cast might not pull in the numbers it once did.
Then again, the series can always adapt to be more suitable for the current climate without sacrificing all of the aspects that made it an instant classic in the first place. Given how legendary the franchise is, there’s definitely still an appetite out there for those who loved the original and hopefully, Universal will take a chance and bring the gang back together for at least one more go-round in American Pie 5.