The Friday franchise is officially back on. After years of delays and behind-the-scenes roadblocks, Ice Cube is returning to write and star in the long-awaited fourth entry in the iconic comedy series.
The news came straight from New Line Cinema president and CCO Richard Brener, who confirmed the project in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “We are making another Friday. We just closed a deal with Ice Cube to write and star,” Brener said, before unveiling the film’s title. “It’s going to be called Last Friday.”
This marks a major development in a franchise that has remained dormant for more than two decades. The original Friday, directed by F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton, The Italian Job) and co-written by Cube and DJ Pooh, was released in 1995 and became a cult hit, spawning sequels Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002). While the idea of a fourth film has floated around for years, it never made it past the planning stages—until now.
Cube, never one to mince words, has previously vented his frustration over the long delays. Speaking at John Witherspoon’s celebration of life ceremony in 2019, he revealed he’d written the role of Craig’s dad with Witherspoon in mind, as the actor reminded him of his own father. Witherspoon appeared in all three Friday films. Addressing the years of stalled progress, Cube didn’t hold back — even naming studio heads. “I really apologise to my friend for not getting the next Friday movie made. It’s not my fault. Some dumbass people in Hollywood at New Line Cinema,” he said, drawing laughs from the audience. “You can email [former New Line Cinema President and COO] Toby Emmerich and [current New Line Cinema President and CCO] Richard Brener if you feel like I feel. Gave you punks two scripts and you didn’t wanna do them. That’s the real. We were tryin’ to make that movie for years and we couldn’t get it done.”
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Sadly, Last Friday will move ahead without some of the franchise’s most beloved characters. Witherspoon passed in 2019, while Tommy Lister Jr., known for his role as Deebo, died in 2020. Their absence will undoubtedly be felt by long-time fans. Still, with Cube back in the lead and driving the project creatively, the film looks to honour the legacy of what came before while pushing the story forward.
No release date has been announced for Last Friday, but with Ice Cube now officially back on board as writer and star, and New Line ready to roll, the next (and, if that title is anything to go by, final) chapter in this comedy saga may finally be within reach.
