John Witherspoon’s funeral at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California last week drew hundreds of mourners, many of them his famous friends.
Ice Cube, who was Witherspoon’s colorful co-star in the Friday film franchise, delivered a moving speech during the service, explaining why he wanted Witherspoon to be in the original Friday movie.
“The reason I wanted him to play my father is because he reminds me of my real father, but my real father isn’t as funny,” he said. “He reminded me of my real father and I knew if we got John Witherspoon — this is before we decided to get Chris Tucker — the movie would be funny no matter who else we got in it.”
He continued, “When he said yeah, it was one of the happiest moments … we knew we had anchor. We knew we had somebody who was 10 times funnier than us.”
Cube also revealed why Last Friday hasn’t been made.
“I really apologize to my friend for not getting the next Friday movie made,” he said. “It’s not my fault. Some dumbass people in Hollywood at New Line Cinema, if you wanna … you can email Toby Emmerich and Richard Brener if you feel like I feel. Yeah, you punks had 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. We got the other three and we got our memories.”
Last Friday was expected to be the fourth installment in the franchise. In May, Cube revealed the script was done and Witherspoon had agreed to reprise his role as “Pops.” In the wake of his death, the movie’s fate has yet to be determined.
Watch Cube’s full speech above.
opm gotta use other peoples money cant risk being poor again, cube could pay everyone, film, direct, put it in thecan at this point & just sell to highest bidder while retaining points, dont go blaming others at theend of the day its just a movie, be good pops
Exactly. Ice cube alone is worth over $160 million, not to mention all of the others stars who would have been down to make the movie, and possibly fund it as well. They would have all gotten a great payday if they had independently made the movie. That’s super sad though…. I thought they had filmed the motive already, and now, it will never, ever happen. Missed opportunity.
As always a bunch of broke people talking about how rich people should spend their money.
Lol, no, I’m saying to complain about not having other people pay for it, he could have easily done it himself. I’m not a broke dude telling a rich dude how to spend his money, just pointing out its ridiculous to blame others. And yeah, I’m far from broke. White people are mostly rich bro.
White people are mostly rich?
Go check the statistics “bro”
You people are so stupid as if ice cube could just independently do friday without new line cinema stopping it, if friday was independently his there would’ve been a new one every year and there would’ve been a series too, we would’ve been sick of the Friday franchise by now
Suuuuuure. Look broke boy you obviously don’t get it. Just because cube is worth 160 mill doesn’t mean he can pay for it. Shit doesn’t just work like that. And that white people are mostly rich comment makes you sound dumb as hell. Especially considering Cube is black and your broke white ass is trying to explain how he should do things.
No chills bruh
I love Ice Cubes work I’ve the years, but cmon man, he has a networth over $160 MILLION! If you wanted to make the movie so badly, you didn’t need other peoples money to do it. You could have been a bad ass, and made an independent film! It would have likely profited extremely well if as good as the others, and would have made Ice Cube even richer! Dudes as 1% elite rich as it gets (not literally, but still, filthy rich)
That’s not the way the game goes once you get into bed with those people. First off, they likely own the name and rights to Friday. Second, your net worth is way more than you have in the bank and that movie has to be done at a certain level. He ain’t got 30 million to just drop up front and wait years for it to come back.
See, now that’s a good response, and your right! Good points….
Do you know how much a film cost to make? Apparently you do not!
This guy really trying to use a dead friend as leverage against a movie company? Wow found someone more soul less than hollywood
Leverage for what? A movie that can no longer happen now that hes dead? Stop reaching with your bitter as.
Pretty sure John Witherspoon could give two fucks and is laughing in his grave at cubes comments…..John Witherspoon had a clean slate and clean career. This is why they were celebrating his life and not a funeral for death
Because it would be kinda distasteful to film a comedy during somebody funeral?
If you would use your brain and read the article, you would see he explains why the movie never got made in the past…AT the funeral. They aren’t talking about filming it during the funeral. How stupid can people be?
He is with Black Jesus now. RIP john
Cube should bring Netflix on board to strike a deal with New Line and release a new Friday as a Netflix original.
Maybe there’s even some unused/archival footage of John Witherspoon they could use to pay a lil homage to the legend.
And oh, if it’s too much of a clusterfuck to make it happen due to suits, just call it Saturday and keep it movin.
They obviously passed on the script, because it was incomplete, sucked, lacked support from fans, was dated and nobody cared, etc. maybe Ice Cube was demanding too much and it would have been a logistical nightmare? Who knows, but they obviously had ZERO faith or interest in the script so whatever. Ice Cube is just bitter and trying to act like making another Friday would have saved Pop’s life. The man is in a better place puttin that hot sauce on a heavenly burrito. RIP to a truly funny and original comic.
Start off the movie by everyone ,All the main characters to gather for pops funeral…. turn it into a +
That’s what I was thinking…it’s a fitting tribute..????
I don’t see how a Friday movie can exist without John. Even if Tucker came back without Witherspoon, dialogue would be boring
Yea his name in Friday was never pops this ain’t the Wayan Bro’s show white Culture vulture editors