Meet the Parents sequel in development with original cast set to return

Meet the Parents 4 is currently in development, with the original cast from the 2000 comedy set to return.

Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo and Blythe Danner are all “in early talks” to reprise their roles, says Deadline, suggesting the film is a continuation of their story rather than a reboot.

There are no plot details at present, with the screenplay yet to be written, but we do know the co-writer behind the last three films, John Hamburg, is once again putting his pen to paper.

There’s also no director attached currently, although the director of the first two films, Jay Roach, has signed on as a co-producer. That’s alongside De Niro, who’s also a co-producer on the film.

Released by Dreamworks and Universal, Meet the Parents stars Ben Stiller as Greg Focker, a man aiming to impress his girlfriend’s family (De Niro, Danner) before proposing to her.

During their weekend together at the family’s house, however, De Niro’s Jack Byrne takes a serious dislike to Focker, making for an increasingly uncomfortable experience.

Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand also appeared in the sequel as Greg’s parents, Bernie and Roz, but there’s no word yet on whether they’ll reprise their roles.

Meet the Parents earned $330 million worldwide, spawning a sequel four years later in Meet the Fockers (2004). It did even better, with a $522 million global gross. Again, a sequel followed, with 2010’s Little Fockers seeing Greg and wife Pam (Teri Polo) juggle looking after their five-year-old twins with a spontaneous visit from the in-laws. The film grossed over $310 million worldwide.

The cast will have to work to find time in their busy schedules. Stiller wrapped filming on Severance season 2 for Apple TV+ in April 2024, and will likely have a third season to direct if the mind-bending sci-fi drama hits the highs of the 2022 first. Season two of Severance premieres 17 January, 2025.

De Niro, meanwhile, is fresh off a star turn in Martin Scorsese’s 2023 historical drama Killers of the Flower Moon, in which he played murderous tycoon William Hale. Other projects in the pipeline are conspiracy thriller Tin Soldier, in which he stars alongside Jamie Foxx, as well as crime drama Alto Knights and Netflix political thriller series Zero Day, which both releases in 2025.