14 DAY TRIAL // The third film with the ridiculously hilarious Focker clan is currently in the making but, according to the reports now coming in, it could very well be that not all is great in Focker-land. Meant to reunite the original cast, presumably with the addition of Jessica Alba, “Little Fockers” was seen as the logical continuation of “Meet the Fockers.” The problem is that Dustin Hoffman might not be returning to the franchise, Entertainment Weekly has learned.
In the sequel to “Meet the Parents,” Hoffman and Barbra Streisand played the airheaded and charismatic couple Bernie and Roz Focker. So charismatic they were that Universal went ahead with plans for them to return to the threequel as well, plans that seem to have hit a dead end just recently, with the conclusion that the legendary actor pulled out of the production altogether, reports in the blogosphere say.
“Those of you looking forward to seeing Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand reunite as Bernie and Roz Focker, you may have to just rent ‘Meet the Fockers’ again. It’s looking like Hoffman isn’t returning to the third installment in the ‘Meet the Parents’ franchise. Sources tell EW that there has been strife between Hoffman and the studio over the size of the part, the scheduling of the days on set and other difficulties.” the movie-dedicated mag writes, citing insiders and reports currently making the rounds.
There is some silver lining to this cloud too, however. “Hoffman had tentatively agreed to appear in what was to be a very funny cameo at the end of the film. That seems to have now fallen apart, due to either salary issues or scheduling problems, or both. The studio, Universal, declined to comment. At this point, we do know that Streisand still has a prominent role in the movie as Ben Stiller’s mother but alas, Papa Focker’s role is looking much more unstable.” EW further writes.
At this point in time, Dustin Hoffman has yet to comment in any way on the situation, with his rep being immediately not available for the media at the time of writing. As noted above, Universal is declining to comment. However, should the report be accurate, the movie studio needs to come up with a good replacement for Hoffman and fast – that is, if it doesn’t want to ruin the franchise by taking out the character altogether.