Fresh off “Wicked: Part One” dominating the box office and awards season, Ariana Grande has apparently decided to follow that up by joining the “Meet the Parents” franchise.
Grande will star in the next ‘Fockers’ installment, with Universal eyeing a November 25, 2026 release date because nothing says momentum like jumping into a comedy series that peaked two decades ago.
John Hamburg, who co-wrote all three previous entries, is back to direct and pen the script. The original cast — Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, and Blythe Danner — is also returning, presumably to collect easy checks. Plot details are “under wraps,” as is who Grande is playing.
The original ‘Meet the Parents’ films did rack up over $1.1 billion globally, so it’s easy to see why Universal wants one more trip to the well — especially with Grande’s post-Wicked heat.
It was just a few days ago that ‘Fockers’ producer Jane Rosenthal admitted that the fourth instalment will have to tone it down with the politically incorrect jokes of the first three.
Asked by Variety about how comedy has changed, Rosenthal tiptoed around specifics, but acknowledged that “there are jokes you can’t tell anymore” and that “you have to think about who’s going to have issues with a joke now.” She even hinted that a title like “Meet the Fockers” would not fly today.
Whether this fourth instalment ends up as a smart move or a “Little Fockers” level misfire remains to be seen.