Ice Cube is already getting fans hyped for the weekend as he steps back into the iconic role that helped launch his career.

The Grammy-winning rapper and actor has officially sealed a deal with Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema to write and reprise his beloved role as Craig Jones in Last Friday, the highly anticipated fourth film in the Friday comedy franchise. This new installment follows the original Friday (1995), Next Friday (2000), and Friday After Next (2002).

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain and finding joy in the midst of life’s challenges.”

Vivian Greene

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Richard Brener, Chief Content Officer at New Line, confirmed the news that a deal had been finalized with Ice Cube. Cube had hinted earlier in June 2024 that the long-discussed sequel was finally picking up steam after years of stalled progress.

Reflecting on the development, Cube shared, “They’ve got new leadership now, with Mike DeLuca, who was at New Line when I first started working on Friday, Players Club, and All About the Benjamins. Mike’s back and now running Warner Bros., and he and my guy Michael Gruber were like, ‘What’s up with Friday? Let’s get this back in motion!’”

Cube co-wrote the original Friday alongside DJ Pooh, portraying Craig Jones, a 22-year-old slacker living in South Central Los Angeles who, alongside his best friend Smokey (played by Chris Tucker), gets into trouble with a local drug dealer. The film became a cult classic, and Cube reprised his role in the sequels Next Friday and Friday After Next.

Talk of a fourth film began as early as 2011, but it wasn’t until 2022 that Cube publicly expressed frustration with the delays, especially after the deaths of important cast members like John Witherspoon, Tommy “Tiny” Lister Jr., and Anthony “AJ” Johnson. “It was frustrating because it took so long,” Cube admitted. “We kept losing people, and they weren’t moving the project forward in a way that felt right.”