"Meet the Parents 4": Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo in Talks to Return for Sequel

12/10/2024 03:27 PM

Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro last combined forces as Greg Focker and Jack Byrnes in 2010's 'Little Fockers'

The Fockers saga continues!

PEOPLE confirmed on Tuesday, Dec. 10, that Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo are in early talks to star in the next installment in the Meet the Parents franchise, which would function as a sequel to the 2010 movie Little Fockers. The movie is set to be written by John Hamburg, who wrote the screenplays for the original 2000 movie Meet the Parents as well as its sequels Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers.

De Niro, 81, is expected to work on the movie as a producer alongside his Tribeca Festival cofounder Jane Rosenthal through Tribeca Productions, as he did with the series' previous three entries. Stiller, who did not work on the previous movies as a producer, will also produce the new film through his company Red Hour films. An official title, plot details and additional casting announcements have not yet been released.

Related: Ben Stiller Says Meet the Fockers Team Had to Prove Focker Was a Real Last Name in Order to Avoid R Rating

Meet the Parents originally starred Stiller as Greg Focker, who travels with his girlfriend Pam (Polo, 55) to her sister's wedding, where Greg meets Pam's parents Jack (De Niro) and Dina (Danner, 81) and intends on getting Jack's blessing to propose to Pam. Greg and Jack naturally do not get along, but Jack eventually realizes Greg and Pam love each other and accepts their relationship. 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

The 2004 sequel Meet the Fockers follows the characters as they travel to meet Greg's parents, portrayed by Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. In Little Fockers, the characters are all revisited years later, as Greg and Pam raise two young sons.

Related: Ben Stiller Says People 'Always' Mistake Him for Adam Sandler and Tell Him 'Click Changed My Life'

Stiller, De Niro, Danner and Polo held a 20th anniversary reunion on the Today show back in October 2020, where Stiller recalled feeling nervous after he broke character during his first scene with De Niro. During that reunion, both Stiller and De Niro expressed interest in reuniting for a fourth film in the series.

"I'm like, 'I can't believe I'm breaking character on the first scene, the first line. He's going to think I'm the worst,' " Stiller said at that time. "But then there was a moment where he smiled and I then felt, 'OK, it's alright.' But from then on, I never felt any more comfortable actually."