Ice Cube Accuses Warner Bros. Of Discrimination In Battle Over ‘Friday’

It looks like Ice Cube and Warner Brothers can’t agree on certain things when it comes to continuing the rapper’s beloved Friday franchise.

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According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, Cube is currently in the middle of a heated battle with the studio over the continuation of his Friday franchise.

Warner Bros. and Ice Cube reportedly agreed to make a fourth installment, titled Last Friday, back in 2012, with the Los Angeles native set to be paid a total of $11 million for his on- and off-camera roles combined. Unfortunately, almost a decade later, disagreements over the script and property rights have reportedly stopped production from going forward.

The main issue here is reportedly some major creative differences over the sequel’s storyline.

The first script that Cube wrote for the film was said to be set in a prison, which the studio ultimately shot down because executives didn’t think it was funny. Once he submitted a second draft,  he received even more negative feedback,  with execs saying it was still “off the mark.”

Now, because of all this tension, Ice Cube says he’s convinced the drawn-out editing process was just a way for Warner Bros. to hold off on production.

“We’re right there at the finish line, and they don’t pull the trigger,” he said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Following those claims, a representative for the studio denied the accusations, suggesting it was Cube who was dragging his feet. Warner Bros. claimed the  rapper and his team were unwilling to engage with the studio and said the artist’s other commitments, such as his Big3 basketball league, were distractions that slowed down the pre-production process.

“For nearly a decade we have expressed unwavering support for a Friday sequel,” the spokesperson said, “even as the years passed between the two scripts he was enlisted to write for the Friday franchise due to his own delays.”

Within this battle, Ice Cube is also reportedly seeking the rights to the Friday franchise, which includes the original 1995 film, as well as 2000’s Next Friday and 2002’s Friday After Next. The studio called his demands “extortionate,” making it clear they had no intention of releasing the rights to any of Cube’s films.