The nostalgic revival of 2000s family comedies is heading to the big screen. By taking a franchise that built its success on the pure frustration of a bachelor dealing with unruly kids and fast-forwarding the timeline to give him grandkids, the upcoming project relies on a reliable Hollywood strategy: bringing back original stars to capture both the adults who grew up with the films and a brand-new generation of younger viewers.

WHAT HAPPENED

According to an entertainment industry report published by Deadline on June 22, 2026, production studio Skydance Sports has officially acquired the rights to develop Are They Gone Yet?, marking the third theatrical entry in the commercially successful Are We There Yet? comedy franchise.

The announcement confirms that original co-stars Ice Cube and Nia Long have signed on to reprise their iconic roles as Nick Persons and Suzanne Kingston. The new script, penned by screenwriting duo Chris Hazzard and Mike Fontana, fast-forward the family's timeline by two decades. This time around, Nick faces his most chaotic hurdle yet: managing a new batch of energetic grandkids.

The project is currently in early development as a joint production between Todd Garner’s Broken Road Productions and Ice Cube’s personal banner, CubeVision. Ice Cube, Garner, and Jeff Kwatinetz are attached as primary producers, alongside executive producers Ben Hurwitz and Lauren Gennawey. Expressing his enthusiasm for the Skydance partnership, Ice Cube noted that the transition to a grandparent dynamic perfectly honors the audience that originally grew up alongside Nick Persons in the mid-2000s.

FACT BOX

What the evidence shows

• The New Title: The upcoming third installment is officially titled Are They Gone Yet?, shifting the franchise focus from a road-trip question to grandparent exhaustion.
• The Star Reunion: Ice Cube and Nia Long are locked in to return as the central couple, Nick Persons and Suzanne Kingston, almost 20 years after their last joint franchise appearance.
• The Creative Team: Screenwriters Chris Hazzard and Mike Fontana are handling the script, with production backing from Skydance Sports, Broken Road, and CubeVision.
• The Franchise Track Record: The 2005 original Are We There Yet? and its 2007 sequel Are We Done Yet? were major commercial hits, bringing in more than $156 million combined at the global box office.
• The Television Spinoff: The brand's cultural footprint includes a popular TBS television sitcom adaptation starring Terry Crews and Essence Atkins, which aired for 90 episodes between 2010 and 2013.

THE BIGGER QUESTION

Can a broad, physical family comedy franchise from the mid-2000s find commercial success in a modern theatrical landscape heavily shaped by streaming platforms? The launch of Are They Gone Yet? tests how well older comedic brands hold up today.

When the first film debuted in 2005, mid-budget studio comedies were a massive draw at the box office. Audiences routinely packed theaters to watch relatable, high-energy family struggles unfold on the big screen. Today, that entire genre has largely migrated to streaming networks, leaving theaters dominated by massive action blockbusters and horror titles. By putting a 94-minute style family comedy back into active development, Skydance is betting that the pure nostalgia of seeing Ice Cube play a stressed-out grandfather will be strong enough to pull families out of their living rooms and back into movie theaters.

OPPOSING VIEW & SKEPTICAL CONTEXT

Evaluating the announcement of this legacy sequel highlights a clear split between industry analysts and skeptical moviegoers. Box office strategists point out that the Are We There Yet? brand holds an incredibly secure place in pop culture, especially through memes and regular cable reruns. From this point of view, reviving a clean, universally understood family dynamic is a incredibly safe financial bet, giving older fans a nostalgic hit while introducing younger audiences to Nick Persons' iconic, short-tempered reactions.

On the other hand, cultural critics and online communities approach the announcement with a fair amount of skepticism. Some argue that the specific style of physical slapstick and family chaos that dominated the mid-2000s might feel dated to modern audiences. Skeptics also wonder if the film can capture the magic of the original without its original kid actors Aleisha Allen and Philip Daniel Bolden directly driving the central conflict, warning that relying too heavily on aging franchises can sometimes result in uninspired, formulaic cash-ins rather than genuine creative storytelling.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW

The screenplay is currently moving through active development as Hazzard and Fontana finalize the shooting script. Skydance Sports and CubeVision are expected to begin meeting with directors and launching a nationwide casting call for the child actors who will play the grandkids.

Production timelines, official distribution partners, and initial theatrical release dates will be finalized once the project secures a director and clears early pre-production benchmarks.