Ice Cube has long been vocal about his determination to deliver the fourth and final installment of the Friday franchise, tentatively titled Last Friday. In a recent interview on “Funky Friday” with Cam Newton, the West Coast rap icon opened up about the delays, creative roadblocks, and the cultural significance of the beloved series.
Cube revealed that the project has been in development limbo due to disagreements with studio executives at Warner Bros. Entertainment.
“With a Friday movie, I don’t want no studio telling me how to do this movie. I know these characters, know this culture and everything; I know what it needs to be, and they don’t,” he explained.
The shakeup in Warner Bros.’ leadership in 2022, with Mike De Luca taking over, has finally provided momentum. Cube praised De Luca, who worked with him on earlier projects like Friday and All About the Benjamins, for understanding his vision.
The script Cube penned would have reunited iconic characters like Smokey (Chris Tucker), Ezal, and Deebo, alongside Craig’s father, Willie “Pops” Jones, portrayed by the late John Witherspoon. The storyline included Craig and Day-Day running a dispensary, landing in jail, and navigating comedic chaos with villains like Deebo and Damon.
Cube also hoped to bring back Tucker, imagining Smokey running a rehab where he humorously stole clients’ weed. However, studio executives doubted the humor in a jail-based plot. “Jail’s not funny, it’s too much time in jail, how can you make jail funny,” Cube recalled being told, pointing out the irony of similar projects like Orange is the New Black succeeding later.
Despite the setbacks, Cube remains confident. “We’re going to do what we need to make it dope, make it funny, bring it up to date,” he assured fans. For now, audiences eagerly await what promises to be a fitting send-off to a franchise that has become a cultural touchstone.
Watch the interview down below.
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