As long as Friday is still on the calendar, Ice Cube isn’t letting up on delivering the long-awaited fourth installment of his legendary comedy franchise. And after years of roadblocks, setbacks, and studio drama, it looks like the deal is finally sealed.
Mike Epps confirmed the news while visiting The Breakfast Club. When asked by Charlamagne Da God if Cube approached him about Last Friday, he updated us that Ice Cube called him personally to break the news.
“He called me the other day,” Epps revealed. “Said we doing—just finished the deal. Oh wow. So we doing the next Friday, man. Big shout-out to Cube, man. That’s another brother that’s put so many brothers on.”
Epps went on to praise Cube for the opportunities he’s created in Hollywood.
“This dude put so many people on and don’t really get the props for it—Chris Tucker, Bernie Mac… name ’em. Cube gave dudes opportunities,” he said.
Though Epps hasn’t seen the script yet, he teased that the next Friday will mix the OGs with a new wave of comedic talent. “We gonna bring in the DC Young Flys and all of them with the OGs. It’s gonna be a good ass—,” before Charlamagne cut in to ask the question on everybody’s mind: Will Chris Tucker finally return as Smokey?
“Hopefully, we can get Chris Tucker,” Epps said. “People still love Chris Tucker. He is Smokey. He laid it down. He positioned me to do it. Chris, if you listening, we need you, baby boy. Come on back.”
Ice Cube Has Been Fighting for This Movie for Years
Cube has been vocal about his fight to get another Friday made, never shutting the door on the franchise. Just last year, he told Flavor Flav on Flavor of the Week that things were finally moving forward with Warner Bros.
“We finally got some traction with Warner Bros.,” Cube said at the time, crediting Mike DeLuca, one of the studio’s top execs, for getting things back on track. DeLuca, who was at New Line Cinema when the original Friday dropped, seems to understand the weight this film carries.
Cube also expressed frustration over how long it’s taken, especially as the franchise has lost beloved actors like John Witherspoon, Tiny “Zeus” Lister Jr., and Anthony Johnson.
“I was a little hot ’cause they took so long,” Cube admitted. “We keep losing people, and y’all keep dicking around not doing the movie the way it needs to be done.”
The original Friday premiered in 1995 and became an instant classic, spawning Next Friday in 2000 and Friday After Next in 2002. Despite Ice Cube’s eagerness to continue the story, Warner Bros. dragged its feet, leading to a long battle over the rights and creative control.
Back in 2023, Cube called out the studio for stalling, saying, “Warner Bros. is weird right now. We’d love to have [the rights] back. It’s my movie, but they have distribution control.”
Now, with the deal officially in place, Cube is ready to make this sequel happen—on his terms. “They want to do it. But the key is it’s gotta be done right,” he emphasized.
The Friday franchise remains a staple in Black comedy, blending humor and real-life moments from South Central L.A. in a way that has resonated for generations. And now, with a new installment officially in the works, fans can finally start looking forward to what’s next.
After all these years, it looks like Ice Cube finally got action.