The producer of the upcoming fourth installment in the Meet the Parents series, тιтled Focker-In-Law, teases Wicked‘s Ariana Grande’s new comedic role. Jay Roach is the director of the original Meet the Parents starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, and is seeing the theatrical release of his new movie The Roses this week.

Roach directed Meet the Parents’ first sequel, Meet the Fockers, before taking on a producing role in the continuing franchise. Grande, meanwhile, got her start in comedy with Victorious and Sam & Cat, before becoming better known for her music career. However, she has gained new fame in the last year for her hilarious and emotional Oscar-nominated performance as Glinda in Wicked.

This makes Grande’s casting as the fiancée of the original couple Greg (Stiller) and Pam’s (Teri Polo) son in Focker In-Law very exciting. While he was on the red carpet for The Roses, ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley spoke with Roach about Grande and Skyler Gisondo joining the franchise. Roach said that both actors are “amazing” and “really funny,” and “electric […] as a duo.“

Check out Roach’s full comments below:

ScreenRant: Your baby, your franchise, The Fockers, is having new life very soon with Fockers In-Law.

Jay Roach: We’re shooting right now.

ScreenRant: I was going to say, you’re still a producer on the product, so you still get to see everything that’s going on. How are Ariana and Skyler as additions to the cast?

Jay Roach: Amazing. They’re really funny. She’s such a great new force in the story. I won’t reveal what her background is, but she’s trouble for the Byrnes and the Fockers for Ben Stiller’s family in a great way. She’s really funny. Skyler’s great too. I didn’t know his stuff so much and I’ve just been watching the dailies and he plays Ben Stiller’s son and he’s with Ariana Grande as a duo, and they’re electric. They’re really good. So yeah, bodes well. John Hamburg is directing it. He wrote on all the other ones and he’s a great writer. He did I Love You, Man, and Along Came Polly and he’s hilarious. So it’s going to be a killer. Hamburg’s amazing.

What This Means For Focker In-Law & Ariana Grande

Gisondo is known for Booksmart and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (in which he also plays Ben Stiller’s son), and appears in 2025’s Superman as Jimmy Olsen. Grande is, at this point, an A-list star who has much to offer the comedy legacy sequel. In other words, Focker In-Law has found an excellent pair to bring the story full circle.

Roach’s comments only confirm that the casting choices are paying off, and naturally, a lot more attention is being paid to Grande’s acting career nowadays following her Oscar nomination. In addition to starring Focker In-Law and this year’s Wicked: For Good, Grande is reuniting with Wicked director Jon M. Chu for a movie adaptation of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss.

As much as they will do for Focker In-Law, the new movie will help Grande and Gisondo continue to grow their acting careers, allowing them to showcase their talent through a high-profile comedy series and learn from veteran stars such as De Niro and Stiller.

Our Take On Jay Roach’s Comments About Ariana Grande & Skyler Gisondo

A lot of Wicked fans are likely to flock to any new movie with Grande, which will increase Focker In-Law‘s chances of success next year. However, Roach’s comments make the movie sound especially fun because it turns some of the dynamics of the original Meet the Parents upside down, as the comedy in this movie came from Greg interacting with his terrifying father-in-law-to-be.

In contrast, the producer teases Grande’s character being “trouble” — in other words, outgoing and more than her fiancé’s family knows how to handle. Roach also makes it sound like the character of Henry is going to be great, emphasizing that his and his partner’s relationship is the crux of the story. As Focker In-Law continues to explore the series’ ongoing themes, this duo will be vital.