Suspiciously absent from the
original announcement of those returning for
American Reunion (what Universal insiders are calling American Pie 4, conveniently forgetting the many straight-to-video sequels) was
Alyson Hannigan, the red-head and former Buffy the Vampire slayer actress who memorably played a sweet but geeky girl who regularly told us the naughty things that she did at Band Camp. We figured her name was missing because of her steady and lucrative work on CBS'
How I Met Your Mother was easily paying her bills and with that show just recently being renewed for an 8th season (I know, how that concept has ran for so long is beyond me!) there was nothing in a return for her here. However
Deadline are reporting that she has now officially agreed to return and presumably got a decent paycheque too because Harold & Kumar creators
Jon Hurwitz and
Hayden Schlossberg's script
they will direct partly revolves around her marriage and child with
Jason Biggs' character, the latter who has become the subject of lust from a new hot neighbour. So they needed her in this basically and she had a nice piece of contractual leverage. American Reunion also revolves around a 10 year high-school anniversary which gets the band back together with
Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott and
Eugene Levy all on board and talks well underway with
Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, and
Jennifer Coolidge to return. Filming will begin next month and Universal hope there's still an audience for this franchise eight years after the last notable outing, American Wedding.