American Pie is a series of teen films conceived by Adam Herz. The first film in the series was released on July 9, 1999, by Universal Pictures, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning three direct sequels. The second and third films were released at two-year intervals, whereas the fourth film was released in 2012. From 2005 to 2009, four spin-off films were released. A ninth feature film has been announced in response to the success of the eighth film.