O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson and Warner Bros. are reportedly fighting over the rights to the iconic film classic “Friday.”
Will we ever get a fourth “Friday” movie? Well, we might not if Cube and Warner Bros. don’t settle their dispute. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, “Last Friday” is being held up because Cube would like the studio to hand over the rights to his three films: “Friday,” “Next Friday,” and “Friday After Next.” “Last Friday” has reportedly been in the works for almost a decade, Yahoo! News reports.
In a letter, Ice Cube said WB has been excessive in its feedback notes” on Cube’s scripts, noting they have been a “poor steward” for the movie franchise, Yahoo! News reports. “These guys don’t get me, and I don’t get them,” Jackson said in an interview.
In another letter, reps for Cube said his movies have been “habitually underfunded in comparison with projects featuring white casts and creative teams.” Warner Bros. fired back at Jackson, saying it will not give him rights to his movies because they claim his demands “extortionate” and denying his claims, calling them “revisionist history.”
WB said Cube’s claims of discrimination and underfunding are “grounded in a libelous set of knowing falsehoods.”
“We strongly disagree with any claims of discriminatory treatment and stand by our ongoing and proven commitment to support diverse voices and storytellers and will continue to do so as we move forward,” a spokesman for Warner Bros. told the WSJ.
In 2012, Cube and Warner Bros. signed off on a deal to make Last Friday. Ice Cube is expected to be paid $11 million for the film. Ice Cube and DJ Pooh wrote all three Fridays.
