Ice Cube is still working hard to release the final film of the Friday series cleverly titled, Last Friday.
The rapper and actor recently revealed the progress of the film on ESPN’s “The Jump.” He also announced that he wants the movie to drop on the 25th anniversary of the original film’s release: April 26, 2020.
“We are pushing for it, we finished the script, we are getting notes from the studio and it’s going back and forth,” Cube said. “Get into pre-production and start hiring. It would be nice for this to come out on the 25th anniversary.”
Cube has been teasing the fourth film of the “Friday” series since 2017. In an appearance on “The Wendy Williams Show,” Cube said the film was delayed because of money. “It’s a big check,” he said, specifically stating that classic franchise actors like Mike Epps, John Witherspoon, Chris Tucker, and Tiny Lister “want a bigger check.”
“They were all unknowns at the time,” Cube said in the interview. “Now, they’re household names.”
Last year, Weatherspoon and Epps were seen filming with Ice Cube in what many believed were scenes from Last Friday. However, the trio was filming iconic scenes from Friday for a commercial in support of Cube’s Big3 basketball league.
While it seems like most of the beloved characters from the franchise’s first three films are returning, it is currently unknown if the most quotable character Smokey, played by Chris Tucker, is returning to the franchise.
For many years, Tucker has vehemently said no when asked if he would return to the Friday franchise. However, when Tucker appeared on ESPN’s “The Plug Podcast” in 2018, he said, “I’m definitely gonna look at it and see if it works, ‘Cause I never say never.”
Reportedly, Tucker stepped away from the franchise after a dispute over money; he then went on to star in the Rush Hour trilogy. After a photo of Tucker and Rush Hour co-star Jackie Chan made rounds on social media, rumors of a Rush Hour 4 film began to circulate. Shortly after, Chan denied the claims.
“We have noticed that false information that Mr. Chan would act in the motion pictures ‘Rush Hour 4’ and ‘The Karate Kid 2 ‘is spreading through multiple social media platforms,” the statement on Chan’s website read. “And that certain apparently infringing parties have misappropriated the personal WeChat and email accounts of Mr. Esmond Rend, a motion picture industry professional, to release false information concerning the hiring of the crew, casting, audition and other matters in connection with the pictures ‘Rush Hour 4’ and ‘The Karate Kid 2.”
The statement concluded, “With respect to the above information, on behalf of Mr. Chan, we hereby declare that any and all such information, as spread by such infringers, relating to Mr. Chan providing or about to provide acting services in the motion pictures ‘Rush Hour 4 ‘and ‘The Karate Kid 2’ is false.”