MEET THE PARENTS 4: Ariana Grande Joins Cast of Upcoming Comedy Sequel Slated for 2026

Ariana Grande Boards Comedy Sequel

In a surprising piece of casting news, Oscar-nominated actress, Ariana Grande, is going to be featured in Universal’s upcoming, Meet the Parents 4.

Ariana Grande just sang and danced her way to an Oscar nod last year for her role in Wicked: Part 1. Now, with the sequel to that blockbuster, Wicked: For Good, on the horizon, Grande is moving forward to lighter fare as she is set to appear in the new Meet the Parents film which is going to be the fourth feature in that franchise. This news came as a surprise to some as she has been tied to Oscar-nominated fare like the Wicked movies and Don’t Look Up in the past. While Grande’s presence in the new Meet the Parents may not propel the film to Oscar-worthy status, it should rise the fourth entry to become a movie that will rank above the poorly reviewed third film in the series, Little Fockers.

Universal will be releasing the fourth Meet the Parents film around Thanksgiving, 2026 on November 25th of that year. It will be a good frame for the film to clean up at the box-office being that it centers on a family and Thanksgiving is, perhaps, the most family-themed day of the year. While Grande’s exact role in the fun of the upcoming comedy is uncertain as of yet, many expect her to play a pivotal role in the plot.

Ben Stiller could use a hit to put him back on the map as a comic movie star. His last Thanksgiving release, Hulu’s Nutcrackers, turned out to be a mediocre showcase for the actor’s versatile talents. Robert De Niro also needs a hit judging from the box-office performance of The Alto Knights where the star played a dual role. Grande’s presence could steer younger audiences towards the fourth Meet the Parents picture. It will need younger audiences to come see it to succeed as the last picture was released 15 years ago and has lost some of the franchise’s fans over the years. While the original is still a classic and the first sequel was memorable, the second sequel was a flat-out flop. This new sequel needs to make people forget about the third movie in the series.

Ariana Grande sang a great song in Don’t Look Up and quite a few of them in Wicked: Part 1. It wouldn’t be premature to assume that Grande will add some music to the soundtrack of Meet the Parents 4 although nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Of course, if Grande wins Best Supporting Actress at the next Oscars for Wicked: For Good, that will rise the level of Meet the Parents 4 from a potentially fun sequel to a potential box-office bonanza and tentpole film for Universal.

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