Harvey Keitel Joins "Little Fockers"

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

Sequels usually mean big business in Hollywood. Threequels? Sometimes even bigger. No matter what franchise it is, Hollywood will churn out as much as it can, and in this case, they have Focker fever. Harvey Keitel has joined the cast of the third 'Meet the Parents' feature "Little Fockers" for Universal and Tribeca Productions. according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner and Owen Wilson all are returning for the comedy. It is the first film in the series not to be directed by Jay Roach, previously known as the director of Austin Powers films, and instead by Paul Weitz.

After marrying Pam, the daughter of a retired CIA agent, after the events of the second film, Gaylord "Greg" Focker has since had five-year old twins. The show will circle around the couple trying to cope with raising their two five-year old children. Writer John Hamburg said the film will deal with "themes of death and divorce and all these real things that as we get older, we start to think about, but in a really comical way."

Keitel, who will play a contractor employed by Stiller's character, joins Laura Dern and Jessica Alba as new members of the cast. Dern will play the headmistress of the elementary school attended by the twins, while Alba will play the role of an attractive pharmaceutical representative whose good looks wreak havoc on male characters in the story.

Sometimes franchises that extend for two sequels can become stagnant, but in this case I think it is a good idea. The first two films were both pretty funny, and also were successful at the box office. Ben Stiller has proved over the years that he is one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, and with the addition of Keitel, the film clearly has a great supporting cast.

“Little Fockers” is set to be released in July 2010.