
Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, and Blythe Danner are in talks to return to the screen for a fourth movie in the “Meet the Parents” franchise. It’s been almost 25 years since audiences were first introduced to Greg Focker, the Byrnes family and their circle of trust, and Jinx, the potty-trained cat.
The original film was a critical and commercial success when it came out in 2000, grossing over $330 million globally and ranking seventh on the list of highest-grossing films that year. Its sequels, “Meet the Fockers” (2004) and “Little Fockers” (2010), were also box office successes, leading to a total of over $1.16 billion for the series. Now, with a fourth film in the works, that total is set to rise again—especially with the franchise’s leads all involved.
Want to learn more about the upcoming film? Here’s everything we know about the new “Meet the Parents” movie.
JUMP TO
In the original movie, Stiller plays Greg Focker, a young man who has a horrible time meeting his girlfriend’s parents—especially the father, Jack Byrnes, played by De Niro. While Greg tries his best to integrate himself into the family, hoping to propose that weekend, Jack’s overprotectiveness makes things increasingly more difficult for him. The comedy is full of unfortunate events that fall upon Greg, like losing the family’s cat, hitting his girlfriend’s sister in the face with a volleyball, and almost burning down the Byrnes’ family home. The two sequels explore more of the tension in the family and introduce audiences to Greg’s eclectic parents, played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.
Plot details for the fourth “Meet the Parents” movie are still unknown at this time. However, like the rest of the franchise’s storylines, we feel that the new film will once again center around a stressful situation with in-laws.
According to Deadline, Universal Pictures is developing the new movie, with Matt Reilly, executive vice president of production development, and Jacqueline Garell, director of production development, overseeing the project for the studio. In addition to those names, Jane Rosenthal and De Niro are producing through Tribeca Productions; Jay Roach, who directed the first two films and produced all three, will produce through Delirious Media; and Stiller and John Lesher will produce through Red Hour Films. John Hamburg, the co-writer of all three of the franchise’s films, is writing the screenplay. With this level of professional expertise on the project, things should get up and running quickly.
At this time, Stiller, De Niro, Polo, and Danner are the only stars in early talks for the project. There is no word yet whether Hoffman and Streisand will also reprise their roles as Greg’s parents. Over the years, the franchise has had a slew of guest stars, such as Owen Wilson, Laura Dern, Jessica Alba, and Kevin Hart. It seems possible that any one of them could return, but we’ll have to wait for more casting announcements to be sure.
Kathy Hutchins/DFree/Shutterstock
Outside of the principals, it’s still too early for production to know who they’ll need to cast. As a result, there are currently no notices for the new film. In the meantime, we suggest keeping your acting résumé fresh by checking out these movie projects and these streaming gigs that are casting now.
While waiting for more development news on the new “Meet the Parents” movie, here are some similar projects in the news lately:
- Everything We Know About ‘The Princess Diaries 3’
- Everything We Know About Margot Robbie’s ‘The Sims’ Movie
- Everything We Know About the Live-Action ‘Rugrats’ Movie
- Everything We Know About a Potential ‘FernGully’ Live-Action Remake
- Everything We Know About ‘Freaky Friday 2’
- Everything We Know About the ‘Legally Blonde’ Prequel Series
- Everything We Know About ‘The Office’ Revival
Keep checking back here for more “Meet the Parents” updates.