Proving that in-law conflict is a struggle that will never die, a fourth Meet the Parents movie is apparently in the works — and some of its key stars are possibly coming back for it.
Deadline reported on Tuesday that Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, and Blythe Danner are all in early talks to return for the sequel, with De Niro among the producers. Josh Hamburg, who co-wrote all the Meet the Parents movies, is set to write the screenplay. A director has not yet been revealed.
The 2000 original followed Stiller’s character, Greg Focker, on a trip to meet his girlfriend Pam’s (Polo) family, with her father (De Niro) being particularly over-protective of her — especially as Focker makes a series of well-intentioned but hapless mistakes. It proved to be a massive success, garnering positive reviews, grossing $330 million worldwide, and spawning two sequels.
Meet the Fockers arrived in 2004, focusing on the other side of the family, while Little Fockers released in 2010, following the central family after they had children. While both movies did well at the box office, each grossing more than $300 million worldwide, they received mixed reviews and Little Fockers in particular was panned by critics.
Still, as Variety points out, the three Meet the Parents movies have grossed $1.13 billion collectively, a hard figure to ignore in a Hollywood environment that continues to bank on nostalgia. Stiller himself is attached to another one of those more nostalgic upcoming projects: the recently confirmed Happy Gilmore 2.
For more, check out IGN’s review of Meet the Parents, where we gave it an 8/10 more than two decades ago.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
