Get ready to Meet the Parents again next Thanksgiving — and save a seat at the table for Ariana Grande.
Focker In-Law, the next film in the Ben Stiller comedy franchise that started in 2000, now has a release date: Thanksgiving 2026. Stiller returns as Greg Focker, while Robert De Niro reprises his role as Greg’s father-in-law, Jack. Teri Polo and Blythe Danner are also back as, respectively, Greg’s wife, Pam, and mother-in-law, Dina. Owen Wilson returns as Pam’s former fiancé, Kevin.
An Instagram post announcing the film is set to the Randy Newman song “A Fool in Love,” from the original movie’s soundtrack. The names of the casts are listed, followed by the word “and,” and then — big finish — the name “Ariana Grande.” While her role in the film hasn’t been detailed, the Wicked star is rumored to be playing the fiancée of Greg’s son.
“Give Thanks for Family” reads the film’s tagline.
Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson in ‘Stranger Things’ season 5. (Netflix)
The runtimes for the final episodes of Stranger Things have been revealed.
After it was falsely reported by several viral social media posts and a Puck News article from Oct. 6 that every single episode of the fifth and final season would run longer than 90 minutes, Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer took to Instagram on Monday to clear up the rumors.
“ACTUAL runtimes,” he captioned a video showing off the first four episode titles and their respective lengths.
The season 5 premiere, titled “The Crawl,” will run for one hour and eight minutes. Only the first part of episode 2’s title has been revealed; so far, we know it begins with “The Vanishing of …” and that the episode is 54 minutes long. Finally, episode 3 is called “The Turnbow Trap,” and will run for one hour and six minutes, while episode 4 is called “Sorcerer,” and lasts for one hour and 23 minutes.
Netflix is releasing season 5 in three different drops. The first four episodes arrive on Nov. 26, just ahead of Thanksgiving, while the following three episodes will debut on Dec. 25. The series finale of Stranger Things premieres on Dec. 31.
Returning for the final season are stars Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer and Joe Keery.
The Hawkins crew all work together to defeat the villainous Vecna and save their hometown once and for all in season 5.
“As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before,” according to the season’s official synopsis. “To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.”
A woman takes the board game Settlers of Catan off a shelf. (Marijan Murat/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The Settlers of Catan has forged a new alliance: the popular board game is being adapted into Netflix programming.
Asmodee, the company responsible for games like Ticket to Ride and Exploding Kittens, has partnered with Netflix to bring the world of Catan to the small screen via scripted and unscripted programming.
“Anyone who has played Catan knows [that] the intense strategy and negotiation at the core of the game has endless opportunities for some serious drama,” said Jinny Howe, head of scripted series, U.S. and Canada, for Netflix.
Created by Klaus Teuber in 1995, Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game in which players build settlements and cities on the island of Catan, collecting and trading resources while navigating new landscapes. The game has sold more than 45 million copies and been translated into more than 40 languages, according to a release. Under the new partnership, Netflix and Asmodee are turning the island into “an epic new storytelling universe.”
“Millions of people [have been] enjoying Catan since it was created, and for many it remains a gateway to modern board gaming,” Thomas Koegler, CEO of Asmodee, said in a news release. “It’s also a testament that board gaming is truly part of pop culture and a popular form of entertainment in everyone’s homes.”
Upcoming Settlers of Catan programming will join Netflix’s slate of game-to-screen stories, including Arcane, Castlevania, the upcoming Assassin’s Creed series and the Gears of War film.
