Ariana Grande Joins 'Meet the Parents 4' Cast Alongside Ben Stiller, Robert de Niro
Ariana Grande has been cast in her next major film role, following her Oscar-nominated performance in "Wicked," and will join the lineup of "Meet the Parents 4" alongside franchise veterans Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.
The Grammy-winning pop star will portray what sources describe as a "ball-busting" woman engaged to the adult son of Stiller and Teri Polo's characters, Greg and Pam Focker. Grande's character appears to be unsuited for her fiancé, setting up potential comedic conflicts with the established Focker and Byrnes families.
Blythe Danner and Polo are expected to reprise their roles as Dina Byrnes and Pam Focker respectively, though their deals have not yet been finalized. The quartet of Stiller, De Niro, Danner, and Polo previously starred together in all three original films from 2000 to 2010.
John Hamburg, who co-wrote the screenplays for all three previous "Meet the Parents" films, penned the script for the fourth installment and will step into the director's role. Jay Roach, who directed the first two films in the franchise, will serve as a producer alongside De Niro through Tribeca Productions. Stiller will also produce the movie through his Red Hour Films company.
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The "Meet the Parents" franchise has proven to be a commercial powerhouse for Universal Pictures, generating over $1.13 billion in global box office revenue across its first three films. The original 2000 movie alone grossed more than $330 million worldwide, while its sequels, "Meet the Fockers" (2004) and "Little Fockers" (2010), continued the family's comedic adventures.
The fourth installment represents the popstar's first major film project since "Wicked," which earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 2025 Academy Awards. The 31-year-old recently indicated she intends to focus more heavily on acting over the next decade, saying she loves musical theater and acting while promising to continue making music at a reduced pace.
Producer Jane Rosenthal previously hinted at the sequel's premise, explaining that Stiller's character is now the same age De Niro was during the original film, with his children grown up and bringing their own romantic complications home to meet the parents. The film, set to release in November next year, marks the first collaboration between Stiller and De Niro since "Little Fockers" 15 years ago.
