Summary
- Hollywood is revisiting 2000s comedy franchises like Meet the Parents.
- The Night at the Museum franchise is making a return with a new film, supposedly involving all-new characters and story.
- Via 20th Century Studios, Disney is seeking to expand its franchise portfolio beyond Marvel and Pixar due to box office instability.
When it was announced back in March that a new Meet the Parents film was in the works at Universal, Disney seemingly took notice. Now, the House of Mouse has their own 2000s Stiller franchise (via 20th Century Studios) getting a new film as well.
The 2000s were a prime decade for comedy franchises, and Hollywood powerhouses like Universal and Disney are looking to recapture some of that turn-of-the-century magic. Nowadays, the only franchises getting multiple installments are big-budget action mainstays like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Fast & Furious series. In the 2000s, you could expect to see sequels to just about any kind of comedy that made a good amount of money. Everything from The Hangover, Scary Movie, and Rush Hour to Meet the Parents, Legally Blonde, and Johnny English got theatrically released sequels. The list goes on and on: the Ocean's films, Madea, Miss Congeniality, Harold & Kumar, American Pie, The Pink Panther, etc. 20th Century Studios is hoping nostalgia can turn back the clock for one specific Ben Stiller-led franchise.
'The Name Of The Movie Is Wicked 3' Ben Stiller & Robert De Niro Tease Meet The Parents 4
It's been nearly 15 years since the last Meet the Parents film was released, but the gang is getting back together for another round.
Earlier today, Deadline broke the news that 21 Laps Entertainment and 20th Century Studios are resurrecting the Night at the Museum franchise with a brand new film. Although no director has been tapped to helm the picture as of yet, screenwriter Tripper Clancy has been brought on board to lead the scriptwriting process. Clancy is best known for writing the 2019 film Stuber and for being the creative force behind the Die Hart franchise. Original Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy—currently busy directing a new Star Wars film starring Ryan Gosling—is involved as a producer on the film.
Night at the Museum Is Returning To The Big Screen After More Than A Decade
Do Kids Even Enjoy Going To Museums Anymore?
The first Night at the Museum film, co-written by The State's Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, released in 2006 with Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, and Robin Williams leading the extensive cast list. Although critics weren't in love with the film, the family-friendly romp roared its way to nearly $600 million at the worldwide box office. Two sequels—Battle of the Smithsonian and Secret of the Tomb—followed in 2009 and 2014, with each successive film bringing in less money than the one before it.
Fans of the original Ben Stiller trilogy might be surprised to learn that the Night at the Museum franchise actually had a direct-to-streaming entry back in 2022 in the form of Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again. This traditionally animated film came and went without much fanfare, but it surprisingly earned the highest critical scores of the franchise. Kahmunrah Rises Again replaced Stiller with Zachary Levi, but it is unclear if either of the actors would return as series staple Larry Daley or if this new film will end up being a full-on reboot. Deadline is reporting that the film will involve a "new story set at the museum with all-new characters," but that could change at the drop of a hat.
Either way, it's clear Disney is on the hunt for more franchise fodder as Marvel and Pixar's usually steady footing continues to look less and less stable.
Source: Deadline