Ice Cube Talks Late ‘Friday’ Stars As Franchise Moves Forward

Rapper and film producer Ice Cube has confirmed the return of the Friday movie franchise with its upcoming final installment, Last Friday.

Following the reveal, many wondered if the film series would have the same magic due to the absence of fan favorite characters, as several of the film’s stars have passed away over the years. Late actors from the franchise include John Witherspoon (Pops), Tommy “Tiny” Lister Jr. (Deebo), Bernie Mac (Pastor Clever), Yvette Wilson (Rita), and Anthony “AJ” Johnson (Ezal).

In a chat with THR during his April 15 hand and footprint ceremony outside of LA’s TCL Chinese Theatre, Cube shared that he plans to recognize the “beloved” characters in some way, sharing, “It’s something you have to address,” regarding their deaths.

He went on, “These are beloved people, not just characters in a movie, We’re talking about John Witherspoon, Tiny Lister, and AJ Johnson. We got to address it. But we still making a movie and still making a comedy, and it’s still gonna be fun. It’s people you want to kick it with. It’s people you want to catch up to and see what’s going on. Then there’s room to introduce new characters. I always saw this like Star Wars; people can pop in and out any time.

“It’s about revisiting a family that’s going through it now in 2025. It’s really catching up.”

One cast member we can expect to return is Mike Epps, who played Craig’s (Ice Cube) cousin, Day-Day, in the second and third installment of the comedy franchise. Epps was one of the first stars to confirm its return during a March interview with The Breakfast Club. Weeks later, the deal was confirmed by New Line president and CCO Richard Brener in an interview with THR.

The Friday saga, which began in 1995 with the original film, has since expanded with Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002), all starring and written by Ice Cube, with DJ Pooh co-writing the classic first installment.