Universal Pictures
Ariana Grande has joined the cast of Meet the Parents 4. Ben Stiller, who starred in the franchise’s first three films, will be reprising his famed role of Gaylord Focker.
Ariana Grande, with over 376 million Instagram followers (7th most in the world), is one of the most famous celebrities in the world right now, especially following the massive success of last fall’s Wicked, which made over $755 million at the box office and will be followed by the sequel Wicked: For Good later this year.
During her press tour for Wicked, Grande was open about her intention to focus on acting and has set her sights on the fourth Meet the Parents film. Anyone who saw Grande in Wicked — which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting actress — or on her various Saturday Night Live episodes knows she absolutely has the chops to do a comedy at the scale of Meet the Parents, which has grossed over $1 billion across three films.
In addition to Stiller, original cast members Robert De Niro, Teri Polo and Blythe Danner will also be returning.
“Plot details are being kept inside the circle of trust as are details behind who Grande will play. Jane Rosenthal and De Niro will produce through their Tribeca Productions. Jay Roach will produce through Delirious Media. Stiller and John Lesher will produce through Red Hour Films. Hamburg will produce through Particular Pictures.”
“Following her scene-stealing performance as Glinda in Wicked, Grande has had her fair share of scripts come her way. Ultimately, her strong ties to the studio led her back to the lot on a project Universal is excited about.” [via Deadline]
Signing up for Meet the Parents 4 is a shrewd move from Grande as it suggests she’s not trying to be something she isn’t, like a Saoirse Ronan or Florence Pugh, and trying to take on heavy dramatic parts or stunt-heavy action films: she’s beautiful, she’s funny, and she can sign and she appears to be sticking to her strengths.