Universal Pictures is in early talks with the main cast of “Meet the Parents” — Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo and Blythe Danner — to return for a fourth installment in the 2000s romantic comedy film series, TheWrap has learned.
John Hamburg, who wrote the screenplays for the three previous films, will also return in the same role. Jane Rosenthal and De Niro will produce through Tribeca Productions, while Stiller and John Lesher will produce through Red Hour Films and “Meet the Parents” director Jay Roach will produce through Delirious Media.
EVP of Production Development Matt Reilly and director of Production Development Jacqueline Garrell will oversee the project for Universal.
Released in 2000, “Meet the Parents” starred Stiller as Greg Focker, a nurse looking to propose to his longtime girlfriend Pam (Polo). But first, he hopes to gain the approval of Pam’s parents, played by De Niro and Danner, with Pam’s father Jack being particularly hard to please. Greg’s comically bad luck doesn’t help things either, as a series of disasters occur during his visit with his would-be in-laws.
“Meet the Parents” was a breakthrough hit for Stiller, establishing him as a leading man in comedy films as it grossed $330 million at the global box office. The film spawned two sequels: “Meet the Fockers” in 2004, which added Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as Greg’s parents, and “Little Fockers” in 2010. Combined, the three films grossed $1.13 billion worldwide.
De Niro is represented by CAA and Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks. Stiller is represented by WME, ID and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Polo is represented by Gersh, McGowan Rodriguez Management, and Kraditor & Haber. Danner is represented by Anonymous Content. Hamburg is represented by WME and Sloss Eckhouse Dasti Haynes LawCo.
Deadline was first to report the news.