Benjamin Lee 

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

Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro are in talks to reprise their characters for a new comedy follow-up
  
  

film still of two men shaking hands outside a house
Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents. Photograph: Phillip V Caruso/AP

Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller are in talks to reprise their roles in a new Meet the Parents sequel.

According to Deadline, the actors, along with their fellow co-stars Blythe Danner and Teri Polo, are in discussions to return for an as yet untitled follow-up.

The film will be written by the series co-writer John Hamburg with no director yet attached.

The original film was released in 2000 and became a major box office hit, making $330m from a $55m budget. De Niro also received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as the difficult father trying to intimidate his daughter’s new boyfriend, played by Stiller.

It was followed by 2004’s Meet the Fockers which added Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand to the cast and made $522m worldwide. The third film, Little Fockers, was released in 2010 and made $310m, receiving the worst reviews of the series, achieving a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw called it “tired and tiring”.

The cast reunited in 2020 for the 20th anniversary of the original and expressed enthusiasm for a fourth film. “I’m game,” De Niro said. “There was some talk about it. I think it would be great.” Stiller added: “I’m always open to the opportunity to work with these people.”

De Niro recently received an Oscar nomination for his performance in Martin Scorsese’s historical drama Killers of the Flower Moon and will be next seen in Netflix’s timely thriller series Zero Day.

Stiller recently starred in Christmas comedy Nutcrackers, his first lead role since 2017. He has also been involved, as a director, with Apple’s hit drama series Severance.

 

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