A couple of weeks ago we reported on rumours that Universal wasn't happy with the Meet The Parents sequel, Little Fockers, and had called for extensive reshoots. Not only that, but they were in negotiations to get Dustin Hoffman in for a last minute return as Bernie Focker. Hoffman was part of the original plans for Little Fockers, but he decided against the movie and was written out, but having seen the rought cut, Universal wanted him back in.
Deadline is reporting that Hoffman will now definitely appear in the movie, with the reshoots including six full-blown new scenes, including four featuring Hoffman, with an insider saying the role is "not dissimilar to what we were pitching him in the beginning," and that he's being paid what he was originally offered.
Hoffman will star in some pivotal scenes opposite Barbra Streisand, and then in a big scene at the end of the movie involving all the major characters. Universal is apparently spinning the reshoots as purely cosmetic. They say it was great to start with, and because it was under-budget, they just decided to make it better, but most suspect Universal thought they had yet another stinker on their hands, and so decided it was worth the cost to try and rescue it. We'll just have to wait and see if they succeed.