‘Fockers’ Producer Admits Sequel Handcuffed by Woke

It’s no secret why big-screen comedies dried up over the past decade.

The woke mind virus infected Hollywood, and suddenly studios were afraid of social media blowback. Even comedy mastermind Todd Phillips ditched the genre, directing two “Joker” films rather than running afoul of the woke police.

The re-election of Donald Trump and the return of ribald roasts suggested the woke handcuffs were a thing of the past in La La Land.

Think again, says veteran Hollywood producer Jane Rosenthal.

Jane Rosenthal on making a fourth “Meet the Parents” film:

“We’d always talked about it. Ben Stiller is now the same age that [Robert De Niro] was when we did the first one, and his kids have grown up, and they have to come home and meet the parents. I can’t disclose anything… pic.twitter.com/J3ugNJdccv

— Variety (@Variety) May 28, 2025

She didn’t say so directly, but her comments during a new interview screamed that hard truth.

Rosenthal opened up about efforts to make a fourth “Meet the Parents” film to Variety this week. Rosenthal shared that star Ben Stiller is now about the same age that Robert De Niro was in the first “Parents” outing – 59. That 2000 film earned $166 million at the U.S. box office and helped cement De Niro as a comic actor after decades of gritty, R-rated performances.

“Meet the Fockers” and “Little Fockers” followed, the latter earning a hearty $148 million in the U.S. Reviews weren’t kind, though, and the franchise stalled.

Now, Greg Focker and friends are coming back, but Rosenthal says some things have changed over the years. Namely, the unofficial comedy bylaws.

How has the business changed in the 25 years since you made “Meet the Parents”? Were there jokes you needed to rethink?

Well, that’s asking me about the script — so I can’t tell you! One of the things that’s changed, though, is that what’s happened in our society means there are jokes you can’t tell anymore [emphasis added]. And you have to think about who’s going to have issues with a joke now. The second movie was called “Meet the Fockers.” I don’t know if you could call it that today.

Rosenthal doesn’t appear to fight back against those restrictions in the interview. Maybe she feels that way privately, but she’s not willing to go public with those views.

It’s also worth noting the “Fockers” franchise never pushed the envelope like other R-rated romps – think “Wedding Crashers,” “Old School” or Phillips’ “Hangover” franchise.

The PG-13 franchise appealed to most audiences and didn’t inspire much, if any, in the way of controversy.

Tell that to Rosenthal, who admits any “Parents” sequel will have to play by the new rules. And, chances are, it’ll make a fraction of the money that its predecessors earned.

The post ‘Fockers’ Producer Admits Sequel Handcuffed by Woke appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.