But that’s about to change, as, per Deadline, they are now both on board to star in ‘In Love,’ which adapts Amy Bloom’s memoir ‘In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss,’ based on a painful moment in her life.
Weitz worked with Bloom to adapt her bestselling 2022 memoir, which follows what happens when she began to notice changes in her husband, Brian: He retired early from a new job he loved; he withdrew from close friendships; he talked mostly about the past. Suddenly, it seemed there was a glass wall between them, and their long walks and talks stopped. Their world was altered forever when an MRI confirmed what they could no longer ignore: Brian had Alzheimer’s disease.
Forced to confront the truth of the diagnosis and its impact on the future he had envisioned, Brian was determined to die on his feet, not live on his knees. Supporting each other in their last journey together, Brian and Amy made the unimaginably difficult and painful decision to go to Dignitas, an organization based in Switzerland that empowers a person to end their own life with dignity and peace.
Here’s what Weitz had to say about working on the new movie:
“Amy’s memoir is a contemporary fable of love, wit and existential stakes. I can’t wait to do it justice with this amazing cast.”
Where else can we see George Clooney and Annette Bening?
‘In Love’ has yet to lock down a distributor, so there’s no release date on the books yet. But with a cast like this, it’s surely not going to be long until the movie has a home.
John Hamburg, who co-wrote all three prior films, wrote the screenplay for the new feature and is set to direct.
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Wilson plays Kevin Rawley, the laidback rival of Stiller’s character (who becomes less so as the story goes on).
We don’t know much about the new movie’s plotline so far, but it’ll reportedly see the son of Stiller’s Greg getting engaged to a headstrong woman (with Ariana Grande) playing the fiancée.
What’s the story of the ‘Meet the Parents’ movies?
(L to R) Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in ‘Meet the Parents’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
The idea for the ‘Parents’ franchise actually originated years before Ben Stiller accidentally knocked an urn full of ashes from a mantle or milking a cat was ever discussed.
Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke created and co-wrote an independent film, also titled ‘Meet the Parents,’ back in 1992.
Glienna directed, wrote two original songs, and starred as protagonist Greg: a Chicago advertising agent who travels with his fiancée Pam Burns to meet her parents, Irv and Kay, over a weekend but sets off a series of accidents and causes the family to fall apart.
After Pam’s sister Fay commits suicide, framing Greg in the process, Irv attempts to shoot him but accidentally kills Kay and Pam before dying of a heart attack. So… yes, a little darker even than what followed.
Sensing some potential (albeit with less murder/suicide), Universal bought the rights to the indie movie. The studio hired screenwriter Jim Herzfeld to expand the script and tone down some of the sharper edges, which led to what we all now know as ‘Meet the Parents’ in 2000.
Jay Roach directed that film, with Hamburg re-writing the script. It stars Stiller as Gaylord “Greg” Focker, a male nurse who is looking to propose to his girlfriend, Pam (Polo). Upon learning that Pam’s sister’s fiancé sought her father’s permission to marry, Greg sees an opportunity when they travel to her parents for the wedding.
As it turns out, Pam’s father is the stern, authoritative Jack Byrnes (De Niro), who claims to have been a florist in his career but is in fact a retired CIA counterintelligence officer. And not quite as retired as he claims. Chaos ensues, including the aforementioned urn destruction, injuries and bad behavior from Jack’s beloved cat Mr. Jinx.
(L to R) Blythe Danner and Robert De Niro in ‘Little Fockers’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Danner played Dina, Jack’s wife who is much less stress-inducing than him, but still less easygoing than Greg’s family. Yet despite all the madness, Greg does manage to convince Jack he’s worthy of Pam and ends up engaged.
That film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $166.2 million domestically and a total of $330.4 million worldwide.
A sequel was greenlit, with Roach returning to direct and Herzfeld and Hamburg once more writing. In 2004’s ‘Meet the Fockers,’ Greg and Pam decide to have Jack and Dina meet his parents.
The eccentric, fun-loving and free-spirited couple are, Bernie Focker (Dustin Hoffman), a lawyer-turned-stay-at-home-dad, and Roz (Barbra Streisand), a sex therapist for elderly couples. While Dina bonds with the Fockers, cracks form between Jack and the Fockers due to their contrasting personalities and backgrounds.
There’s also the small matter of Greg potentially having fathered a child as a teenager with the Focker family house-keeping and renewed tension with Jack. Yet it all works out happily and Greg and Pam marry at the end.
‘Meet the Fockers’ was an even bigger hit, earning more than $279 million domestically and more than $522 million worldwide.
The world had to wait until 2010 for the third entry, ‘Little Fockers,’ which saw Hamburg back writing, this time alongside Larry Stuckey. Paul Weitz took over directing chores.
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‘Little Fockers,’ which finds Greg and Pam preparing to celebrate the fifth birthday of their twins Samantha and Henry.
However, things seem to go awry for Greg when his in-laws, Jack and Dina Byrnes, visit them, and Jack announces he is looking for his successor as the head of the Byrnes family. Jack’s family has been hit by his daughter’s (Pam’s sister) divorce and more disruption, plus some health issues.
Yet more madness follows, though it ends well for both men, even if Greg’s parents announce they’re moving to Chicago to be closer to him and Pam.
This third film was critically panned and not as successful as the previous two entries, ending up with a worldwide total of $310.7 million.
Where else can we see Owen Wilson?
Owen Wilson in ‘Stick,’ premiering June 4, 2025 on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+.
Wilson hasn’t been seen on the big screen since 2023’s ‘Haunted Mansion’, but he’s had work on TV, appearing as Morbius in Marvel’s ‘Loki’ and is currently to be found playing a former golf champion mentoring a talented new young player on Apple TV+ series ‘Stick’.
Upcoming movie work includes medical transport thriller ‘Runner’ and Jeremy Garelick’s new comedy ‘Rolling Loud’, about a father who takes his son to a wild hip-hop festival.
When will the new ‘Meet the Parents’ movie hit theaters?
(L to R) Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in ‘Meet the Parents’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Since the details are now starting to come together, Universal is confident enough to plant a flag for this one: the new movie will be out on November 25th, 2026.
And Paramount Pictures has announced it will co-produce the movie and distribute it outside the U.S.
(L to R) Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in ‘Little Fockers’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
List of Movies in the ‘Meet the Parents’ Franchise:
If you’re not sure what you’re on about, you might want to cast your mind back to last December, when the news broke that Universal had started the gears turning on a new instalment of the ‘Meet the Parents’ franchise.
That’s not all: John Hamburg, who wrote all three previous movies not only came back to tackle the screenplay again, but will direct the new entry, the title of which remains under wraps.
What’s the story of the ‘Meet the Parents’ movies?
(L to R) Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in ‘Meet the Parents’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
The idea for the ‘Parents’ franchise actually originated years before Ben Stiller accidentally knocked an urn full of ashes from a mantle or milking a cat was ever discussed.
Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke created and co-wrote an independent film, also titled ‘Meet the Parents,’ back in 1992.
Glienna directed, wrote two original songs, and starred as protagonist Greg: a Chicago advertising agent who travels with his fiancée Pam Burns to meet her parents, Irv and Kay, over a weekend but sets off a series of accidents and causes the family to fall apart.
After Pam’s sister Fay commits suicide, framing Greg in the process, Irv attempts to shoot him but accidentally kills Kay and Pam before dying of a heart attack. So… yes, a little darker even than what followed.
Sensing some potential (albeit with less murder/suicide), Universal bought the rights to the indie movie. The studio hired screenwriter Jim Herzfeld to expand the script and tone down some of the sharper edges, which led to what we all now know as ‘Meet the Parents’ in 2000.
Jay Roach directed that film, with John Hamburg re-writing the script. It stars Stiller as Gaylord “Greg” Focker, a male nurse who is looking to propose to his girlfriend, Pam (Polo). Upon learning that Pam’s sister’s fiancé sought her father’s permission to marry, Greg sees an opportunity when they travel to her parents for the wedding.
As it turns out, Pam’s father is the stern, authoritative Jack Byrnes (De Niro), who claims to have been a florist in his career but is in fact a retired CIA counterintelligence officer. And not quite as retired as he claims. Chaos ensues, including the aforementioned urn destruction, injuries and bad behavior from Jack’s beloved cat Mr. Jinx.
(L to R) Blythe Danner and Robert De Niro in ‘Little Fockers’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Danner played Dina, Jack’s wife who is much less stress-inducing than him, but still less easygoing than Greg’s family. Yet despite all the madness, Greg does manage to convince Jack he’s worthy of Pam and ends up engaged.
That film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $166.2 million domestically and a total of $330.4 million worldwide.
A sequel was greenlit, with Roach returning to direct and Herzfeld and Hamburg once more writing. In 2004’s ‘Meet the Fockers,’ Greg and Pam decide to have Jack and Dina meet his parents.
The eccentric, fun-loving and free-spirited couple are, Bernie Focker (Dustin Hoffman), a lawyer-turned-stay-at-home-dad, and Roz (Barbra Streisand), a sex therapist for elderly couples. While Dina bonds with the Fockers, cracks form between Jack and the Fockers due to their contrasting personalities and backgrounds.
There’s also the small matter of Greg potentially having fathered a child as a teenager with the Focker family house-keeping and renewed tension with Jack. Yet it all works out happily and Greg and Pam marry at the end.
‘Meet the Fockers’ was an even bigger hit, earning more than $279 million domestically and more than $522 million worldwide.
The world had to wait until 2010 for the third entry, ‘Little Fockers,’ which saw Hamburg back writing, this time alongside Larry Stuckey. Paul Weitz took over directing chores.
10012981
‘Little Fockers,’ which finds Greg and Pam preparing to celebrate the fifth birthday of their twins Samantha and Henry.
However, things seem to go awry for Greg when his in-laws, Jack and Dina Byrnes, visit them, and Jack announces he is looking for his successor as the head of the Byrnes family. Jack’s family has been hit by his daughter’s (Pam’s sister) divorce and more disruption, plus some health issues.
Yet more madness follows, though it ends well for both men, even if Greg’s parents announce they’re moving to Chicago to be closer to him and Pam.
This third film was critically panned and not as successful as the previous two entries, ending up with a worldwide total of $310.7 million.
As for what might happen in a future entry? We predict tension, slapstick and chances for family bonding. There’s a chance that Hoffman and Streisand could return as Greg’s parents.
Could Grande be playing one of Greg and Pam Focker’s kids in the new ‘Parents’ movie? The timing is a little skewed, but she did, after all, play a college student in ‘Wicked’…
Unless you have somehow been trapped under a wayward Kansas farmhouse dropped by a tornado, you’ll know that Grande is a music superstar with seven studio albums, a soundtrack album, a live album, a remix album, a compilation album, and two EPs to her name, plus 61 singles, including 17 as a featured artist, and 15 promotional singles.
She has won Grammys and a host of other awards, but these days appears to be leaning more towards her acting career.
That’s largely thanks to the success of ‘Wicked,’ which shattered box office records, becoming the most successful Broadway musical film adaptation of all time, earning almost $800 million worldwide. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars including Best Picture, winning for Costume Design and Production Design (Grande was nominated for Best Supporting Actress).
Grande will be back as Glinda the Good in the second half of the ‘Wicked’ story, ‘Wicked: For Good,’ which will be in theaters on November 21st.
When will the new ‘Meet the Parents’ movie hit theaters?
Since the details are now starting to come together, Universal is confident enough to plant a flag for this one: the new movie will be out on November 25th, 2026.
(L to R) Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in ‘Little Fockers’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
List of Movies in the ‘Meet the Parents’ Franchise:
Alexander Skarsgård in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
‘Murderbot’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
Arriving on Apple TV+ on May 16th with its first two episodes (then one episode weekly through July 11th, ‘Murderbot’ has Alexander Skarsgård playing a socially awkward security cyborg that has broken free of its programming, only to end up having to protect a new group of humans it can barely understand, much less tolerate… All the while wishing it could just be binge-watching awful TV shows.
Alexander Skarsgård in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Adapted from Martha Wells’ 2017 novella ‘All Systems Red,’ ‘Murderbot’ marks the latest attempt by Apple TV+ to turn a much-praised sci-fi story into a series, following the likes of ‘Foundation’ and ‘Silo.’
Unlike those two more serious chunks of speculative fiction however, ‘Murderbot’ takes a much lighter tone, pitched more along the lines of Douglas Adams’ work, focusing as it does on a creation that comments on the follies of humanity even as it is forced to serve it.
Script and Direction
(L to R) ‘Murderbot’ creators Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz.
With the Weitz brothers in overall charge of the show (they developed the story for television and run the series as a whole, writing every episode), this was never going to be a straightforward science fiction series.
They’ve certainly found a rich vein of humor, with the title character an endless avenue of sarcastic, socially maladapted (think more Sheldon Cooper than RoboCop) droid who has somehow managed to break his own programming and, following a violent incident at a mining colony, is memory-wiped and rented to a group of free-thinking scientists and explorers charting a distant planet.
Primarily, this is a character study (partly because Wells’ source material books are themselves more focused in that direction) and the plot engine running underneath is a slim one, largely reliant on some expected conspiracy tropes and political commentary.
But that is less of an issue here, because the main character is so memorable and adaptable, and has more of a story arc than any of the fleshier people he spends time with.
Alexander Skarsgård in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Part of that has to do with the Weitz’ brothers scripts, which offer plenty of chances for our anti-hero to bemoan his existence (one or two moments do feel like the voice-over becomes repetitive) and when action does break out, it’s decently handled.
One other problem is that book readers will have their own version of Murderbot sitting in their head, and the show’s interpretation may not always mesh with that. Yet the character still works.
The showrunners also direct a couple of episodes, with Toa Fraser and Roseanne Liang taking the others. On a purely visual level, ‘Murderbot’ is decent, with a clearly decent budget if not perhaps that on the level of its Apple brethren.
It can be a little washed out and bland at times, but the performances make up for that, even if half of the show appears to be shot in the sort of quarry or local landscape that people used to make fun of genre institution ‘Doctor Who’ for. Better realized (and very silly) are the fictional, often melodramatic TV series that Murderbot loves to watch.
And there’s the distinct impression that the original intent might have been a movie, the story then split into episodes of mostly less than 30 minutes, meaning some episodes tell their part of it in satisfying fashion while others feel like offcuts expanded into whole shows.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Akshay Khanna, Tattiawna Jones, Sabrina Wu, David Dastmalchian, Noma Dumezweni and Tamara Podemski in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
The clear MVP of ‘Murderbot’ is the title character himself, brought memorably and never mechanically (except when the part calls for it) by Alexander Skarsgård. Like his fellow acting family members, he certainly throws himself into different sorts of roles, and the offbeat droid here certainly plays to his strengths.
Whether he’s unnerved by the idea of having to maintain eye contact or bemoaning that an invasive command gadget is trying to overwrite his programming, Skarsgård commits, and manages both the witty voice-over and unwilling interactions with the humans around him perfectly.
David Dastmalchian in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Of those humans, David Dastmalchian (as augmented specialist Gurathin) and Noma Dumezweni (as the group’s empathetic and skilled nominal leader Mensah) make the most impact, Dastmalchian deploying a nice line in sarcasm himself as he worries that the “SecUnit” (Murderbot’s official designation) might just get them all killed.
Dumezweni, meanwhile, bonds with her new security droid, and the dynamic is a warm, welcome one (at least on her end).
Among the rest of the cast, Sabrina Wu shines as conflicted fellow scientist Pin-Lee, and the TV shows that Murderbot has in his memory allow for funny cameos from the likes of John Cho, Clark Gregg and Jack McBrayer.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Tamara Podemski, David Dastmalchian, Noma Dumezweni, Sabrina Wu, Tattiawna Jones and Akshay Khanna in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
‘Murderbot’ finds its own gear, but can still stand happily alongside the other sci-fi shows that have found a home on Apple’s streaming service. And there’s some measure of amused irony about a show where the gadget people rely on could end up doing them more harm than good being produced by the company behind the iPhone…
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What is the plot of ‘Murderbot’?
A partly biological security cyborg that privately calls itself Murderbot must hide its ability for free thought whilst completing dangerous assignments and is simultaneously drawn to humans and appalled at their weakness.
Who is in the cast of ‘Murderbot’?
Alexander Skarsgård as Murderbot
David Dastmalchian as Gurathin
Noma Dumezweni as Mensah
Sabrina Wu as Pin-Lee
Tattiawna Jones as Arada
Akshay Khanna as Ratthi
Tamara Podemski as Bharadwaj
Alexander Skarsgård in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
List of Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz Movies and TV Shows:
(L to R) ‘Murderbot’ creators Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with series creators Chris and Paul Weitz about their work on ‘Murderbot’, their love for the books it is based on, adapting the source material, and the thrill of seeing the cast on set for the first time.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Chris and Paul Weitz, David Dastmalchian, Noma Dumezweni, Sabrina Wu, Tattiawna Jones, Akshay Khanna, and Tamara Podemski.
Alexander Skarsgård in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Moviefone: To begin with, Chris, when did you first become aware of the books that the series is based on?
Chris Weitz: Well, Paul sent me ‘Murderbot’, because he had read it and loved it. I mean, he was just reading it for fun and I loved it just as much. So, my first exposure was like a lot of fans of ‘Murderbot’ was just from having the book placed in my hands. Then there was a great audible read, which made it even better. So, it was this kind of great comfort read for me.
Alexander Skarsgård in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
MF: Paul, can you talk about your love for the source material and the challenges of adapting the books for a series?
Paul Weitz: Well, there’s no real reason to adapt something. I mean, it’s not like a piece of literature that you love must be adapted. In fact, it’s usually the opposite. In this case, the sort of reassuring thing was that we had access to Martha Wells who wrote the book, and so we didn’t want to take anything out of the book. We weren’t cutting anything. We wanted to add some stuff because it’s 10 episodes. We wanted to think about, the character’s acting this way in the book, what is their backstory? How else might they act when we’re not seeing them in the book? Then also some sort of incident. But we were able to call Martha and say, “Hey, we have this thought or this idea, what do you think?” Then she would either be into it or say, “Well, would you think about something else?” I mean, she was polite, but we wanted her input throughout. So that part was fun and then working with Chris on it was really fun.
(L to R) Akshay Khanna, Tattiawna Jones, Sabrina Wu, David Dastmalchian, Noma Dumezweni and Tamara Podemski in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
MF: Finally, Chris, as a director, what is it like for you the first time you have the entire cast together on set in costume and you begin filming?
CW: It’s exciting. I mean, one reason is that we had quite a lot of freedom because Martha doesn’t over describe the visual texture of this world. She was also very open to improvisation. Sue Chan, our production designer, and Sean Faden, our visual effects supervisor, are both incredibly talented and experienced professionals. We had the resources to make the greatest piece of fan fiction that we could. Our interest was in making a world that didn’t trade upon tropes that have already been done before, which have been done well. But to make something new and something that feels visually like a fun place to be, as well as something that feels true to the books.
Editorial Note: Krisily Fernstrom conducted this interview and contributed to this article.
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What is the plot of ‘Murderbot’?
A partly biological security cyborg that privately calls itself Murderbot must hide its ability for free thought whilst completing dangerous assignments and is simultaneously drawn to humans and appalled at their weakness.
Who is in the cast of ‘Murderbot’?
Alexander Skarsgård as Murderbot
David Dastmalchian as Gurathin
Noma Dumezweni as Mensah
Sabrina Wu as Pin-Lee
Tattiawna Jones as Arada
Akshay Khanna as Ratthi
Tamara Podemski as Bharadwaj
Alexander Skarsgård in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
List of Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz Movies and TV Shows:
At this point, no one involved is giving away any of the story recipe, but The Hollywood Reporter mentions that it’ll be a brand new story with a different cast.
It was a giant hit, earning $235 million worldwide from an $11 million budget and led to three main sequels with the original cast (‘American Pie 2’, ‘American Wedding’ and ‘American Reunion’) and spun-off a bevy of straight-to-video movies with new actors under the ‘American Pie Presents’ banner.
(L to R) Eddie Kaye Thomas as Finch, Mena Suvari as Heather, Chris Klein as Oz, Thomas Ian Nicholas as Kevin, Tara Reid as Vicky, and Natasha Lyonne as Jessica in 1999’s ‘American Pie.’
It’s hardly a surprise that Universal would want to go back for another serving: this is a recognizable title, can be adapted to tell any variety of coming of age and sexual yearning stories and would be cheap to produce, featuring new or rising faces and little in the way of giant visual effects (unless Day plans ‘American Pie: Space Race’, which we would honestly watch).
What’s raising our eyebrows is the idea that Day would leap on to something like this – her work has been a little more nuanced than your average ‘Pie’ pic, though original director Paul Weitz (working with brother Chris as producer) always managed to infuse their movies with a lot of heart.
Chances are, Day’s pitch included some new take on the idea, and will no doubt give female characters a little more agency (though again, the ‘Pie’ movies always managed to include some of that).
In addition to her work on ‘Insecure’ (plus appearing before that on Rae’s ‘The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl’) and her successful, award-winning directorial debut, Day has been busy, guesting on shows such as ‘I Think You Should Leave with Tom Robinson’, YouTube’s ‘This Is My Story’, ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ and ‘Life in Pieces’ plus movies including ’20 Weeks’, ‘Death of a Telemarketer’ and ‘For the Hits’.
Since it’s still at a very early stage, Universal has yet to announce any potential release date, nor is there a director attached just yet.
But if you were hoping for more ‘Pie,’ it looks like your order is up.
(L to R) Eugene Levy as Jim’s Dad, and Jason Biggs as Jim in 1999’s ‘American Pie.’
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The comedian who just had the number one box-office film last week with “The Upside,” will play a grieving widower and single father in the film “Fatherhood” for director Paul Weitz (“About a Boy”).
The busy actor, who just lined up a “Monopoly” film (but definitely isn’t hosting the Oscars) will begin shooting “Fatherhood” after he wraps up the “Jumanji” sequel.
“Fatherhood” is based on the Matt Logelin bestseller “Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love,” about a man who must raise his daughter by himself after his wife dies in childbirth. (So no, it has nothing to do with the 1987 Bill Cosby book, also titled “Fatherhood.”)
Sony is beginning a nationwide search for the actress to play Hart’s daughter.
