Ice Cube says ‘Friday’ franchise has advocates with new Warner Bros. regime
Actor, producer, platinum-selling recording artist and Grammy Lifetime Achievement award-winner Ice Cube has been pushing to get a fourth chapter in his beloved comedy franchise “Friday” off the ground for years. In a recent conversation with hip-hop legend and timepiece advocate Flavor Flav on the “Flavor of the Week” SiriusXM show, he shared hopes that audiences may get a chance to revisit the storyline.
“We finally got some traction with Warner Bros,” Cube said. “They have new leadership, my man Mike DeLuca, who used to be at New Line when I first started, when I first did the first ‘Friday’ and ‘Players Club’ and ‘All About the Benjamins’. Mike DeLuca was there. So, now he’s running Warner Bros. And him and my man [agent] Michael Gruber was like, ‘Yo, what the f–k is going on with ‘Friday’? Man, let’s get this sh– back online.”
The first “Friday,” co-written by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh was directed by F. Gary Gray was an unanticipated box office hit, earning $28 million off a small $3.5 million budget in 1995. It was also a substantial home video success. Cube starred opposite Chris Tucker as two pot-smoking layabouts who made commentary about their neighborhood’s goings-on from the comfort of a couch on the porch. It is believed that there are more “Daaaaaaaaaamn!”s-per-capita in “Friday” than in any other film.
The original “Friday” also co-starred Nia Long, future Oscar winner Regina King, John Witherspoon, “Tiny” Lister, and Bernie Mac. The film inspired two sequels, 2000’s “Next Friday” directed by “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” auteur Steve Carr, and 2002’s “Friday After Next,” both of which performed well at the box office.
During the conversation with Flavor Flav, Ice Cube lamented that continuing the series has taken so long. “You know, I was a little hot because they had took so long,” he told Flav. “John Witherspoon passed away, Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister Jr. passed away, Anthony ‘AJ’ Johnson passed away. I’m like, ‘Man, we keep losing people, and y’all keep dicking around, not doing the movie the way it needed to be done.’
Anyway, here is the opening scene of “Friday,” with Ice Cube getting chewed out by John Witherspoon. Classic stuff.
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