Ice Cube has inked a deal to pen and headline a fresh installment in the beloved "Friday" franchise for Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, titled the aptly anticipated "Last Friday." This latest comedy venture marks the fourth chapter in the beloved series—a comeback after a two-decade hiatus since the release of "Friday After Next" in 2002.
In an exclusive with The Hollywood Reporter, Richard Brener, President and Chief Creative Officer of New Line, revealed the groundbreaking agreement with Ice Cube to bring "Last Friday" to life. Variety has also verified this exciting news.
Ice Cube has been vocal about his aspiration to revive the "Friday" saga, and his recent pact with Warner to both star in and helm the film signifies a pivotal milestone in the project's journey. Earlier in June 2024, during a conversation with Flavor Flav on his SiriusXM show "Flavor of the Week," the rapper-actor disclosed that "Last Friday" was gaining momentum at the studio, particularly with co-chief Michael De Luca on board. De Luca, alongside Pamela Abdy, assumed the helm of the studio's film division in 2022.
Reflecting on his long-standing relationship with the studio, Ice Cube reminisced, "They have new leadership now: my man Mike De Luca, who was at New Line when I first embarked on this journey, starting with the original 'Friday,' 'Players Club,' and 'All About the Benjamins.' Mike was there from the very beginning."
Ice Cube has starred in all three previous "Friday" films—"Friday" (1995), "Next Friday" (2000), and "Friday After Next" (2002). He co-wrote the inaugural entry with DJ Pooh and solely penned the screenplays for the subsequent sequels. All three installments were nurtured by New Line, De Luca took the helm during the production of the original trilogy, steering the ship with precision. Subsequently, Warner Bros.' acquisition of New Line cinematically crowned them with the reigns of copyright control over the "Friday" series.
(Note: The last sentence in the original Chinese text was adjusted slightly for clarity and to maintain consistency in tense and phrasing within the English paragraph.)
