You thought the Fockers were gone for good? Think again. Universal Pictures has officially announced the fourth entry in the ‘Meet the Parents’ franchise, and it comes with a title that you’ll either find wildly amusing or embarrassingly desperate: “Focker-in-Law.”
Set to hit theaters on November 25, 2026, the film stars returnees Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, the newly-added Beanie Feldstein and none other than Ariana Grande, fresh off her ‘Wicked’ Oscar nomination.
Grande will reportedly play the fiancée of Greg and Pam’s son. Will De Niro bring back the lie detector?
The only genuinely good movie in this series was the gut-bustingly funny original, “Meet the Parents,” from 2000. A perfect blend of cringey family dysfunction and De Niro’s stone-cold delivery of “I have nipples, Greg” made it an instant comedy classic. Since then? Crumbs.
“Meet the Fockers” (2004) was underwhelming. “Little Fockers” (2010) was what happens when a franchise overstays its welcome by about six years. Still, all three films somehow racked up over $1.1 billion globally — so, yeah, it's no surprise Universal wants to squeeze one more drop from the awkward family sponge.
Producer Jane Rosenthal, speaking to Variety last month, made it clear that “Focker-in-Law” will have to play things safer this time around. “There are jokes you can’t tell anymore,” she said, carefully dodging specifics. “You have to think about who’s going to have issues with a joke now.”
Is there still an audience for this franchise? Or are we headed for another Little Fockers-sized misfire? Universal wouldn’t have greenlit the damn thing if they didn’t believe in its potential. The cast is starry, the holiday release is strategic, and Ariana Grande is there for Gen Z baiting. Whether that’s enough to bring new life to a series that’s been coasting remains to be seen.
