Ariana Grande Tapped for Meet the Parents 4 with Stiller & De Niro
Oh, fantastic—Ariana Grande’s pivot from Wicked boardwalk to vaguely funny middle-age comedy is exactly what we needed. After belting out witchy ballads in Wicked: Part One, the 31-year-old pop titan has reportedly signed on to the next cinematic expedition of Greg Focker’s misadventures: Meet the Parents 4. According to People Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter, the new installment will bring back Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro as if anyone was clamoring for Round Four.
Let’s rewind: the original Meet the Parents (2000) introduced our hero Greg Focker, a bumbling nurse played by Stiller, who endured CIA-grade grilling by his girlfriend Pam’s dad, former agent Jack Byrnes (De Niro). That fish-out-of-water comedy spawned two sequels—Meet the Fockers (2004) and Little Fockers (2010)—none of which exactly reinvented the wheel. So now comes… Meet the Parents 4, tentatively titled, hitting theaters November 25, 2026. Groundbreaking, right?
This time around, Ariana Grande is rumored to slot into an as-yet-undisclosed role. People confirmed she’s officially on the roster alongside returning originals Blythe Danner (Dina Byrnes) and Teri Polo (Pam Focker). Plot details are locked tighter than Jack Byrnes’ security clearance, but given the franchise’s history, expect plenty of awkward dinners, passive-aggressive glares, and Focker family hijinks.
On the creative side, writer John Hamburg—who penned the scripts for the first three films—will be back for another round of Focker formula. That’s cool if you prefer your jokes reheated and predictable. Production duties? De Niro will co-produce via Tribeca Productions (his usual gig), while Stiller finally earns a producer credit through Red Hour Films. So yes, they all stand to make a pretty penny rocking the same old schtick.
As for Grande, this marks her third major film after Thanksgiving’s Wicked, and we can only assume her character will possess zero vocal solos—because comedy franchises love pigeonholing musicians into scenery-chewing cameos. Will she play a daughter, a scheming cousin, or perhaps a hapless new love interest for Greg’s not-so-stoic self? Your guess is as good as theirs.
Before you cue the hype train, remember: attaching a megastar name doesn’t guarantee laughs. If this sequel follows the same blueprint, it’ll beam straight to “meh” territory with a side of nostalgia. But hey, at least we’ll get a new trailer to critique.
And that’s our festival of cynicism for today—another nostalgic cash grab masquerading as fresh comedy. Nothing shocking here, folks. Let’s all act surprised.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
