Lawrence Lamont, who broke through with the 2025 buddy comedy "One of Them Days," has been set to direct the next installment in Ice Cube's long-running "Friday" franchise, according to exclusive reporting. The hire puts a filmmaker who cut his teeth on modestly budgeted, character-driven comedy at the helm of one of Hollywood's most durable comedic properties, a series that has been part of the cultural conversation for more than three decades.

The as-yet-untitled project would extend a franchise that began with the 1995 original, "Friday," a 91-minute comedy-drama directed by F. Gary Gray. Set over the course of a single afternoon in Los Angeles, the film follows Craig and Smokey, two friends passing the day on their porch, smoking and drinking while they try to sort out what to do next. Ice Cube starred as Craig alongside Chris Tucker as Smokey, with a supporting cast that included Nia Long as Debbie, Tommy Lister Jr. as the neighborhood enforcer Deebo, John Witherspoon and Anna Maria Horsford as Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Regina King as Dana, and Paula Jai Parker as Joi. The film holds a 7.155 rating out of 10 on TMDb and has since become a touchstone of mid-1990s comedy.

A Franchise With Unusually Long Legs

Few comedies from that era have spawned as many sequels or retained as devoted a following. "Friday" arrived in theaters on April 26, 1995, and though it was made on a small budget, it became a cultural reference point and a reliable engine for the franchise that followed. Ice Cube has remained the franchise's anchor throughout, and his decision to bring in a new director signals an intent to refresh the series while keeping its star at the center.

For Lamont, the assignment represents a significant step up in scale. "One of Them Days" paired two female leads in a fast-talking, day-in-the-life comedy format, and its success demonstrated that he can sustain humor and momentum within a confined time frame - a skill set that maps neatly onto a franchise built on the premise of a single, eventful day.

A Deliberate Passing of the Torch

The choice of Lamont also carries symbolic weight. Gray, who directed the 1995 original, went on to a major career behind films including "Set It Off" and "The Fate of the Furious." Handing the franchise to a younger filmmaker with a hit comedy already under his belt reads as a deliberate generational handoff rather than a safe, nostalgia-driven hire.

Details about the new film's plot remain under wraps, and it is unclear which surviving cast members from earlier installments will return beyond Ice Cube. The new project has no release date at this time, and no information about its production schedule has been disclosed.

What the Hire Signals

The announcement comes as studios continue to lean on established franchises with built-in audiences, even as they look for fresh creative voices to keep those properties from feeling stale. Lamont fits that profile: he is not yet a household name, but he has shown he can deliver commercially and critically in the comedy space. For Ice Cube, the move suggests he wants the next "Friday" to feel current rather than like a museum piece.

It is also worth noting that the original "Friday" was never purely a comedy. Its TMDb classification lists both Comedy and Drama, and the film's best-known moments are grounded in the everyday pressures of its South Los Angeles setting. A new director inherits a template that allows for broad jokes and genuine warmth in equal measure, and how Lamont balances those tones will likely define the project.

Whether the new film will reconnect with the original's porch-bound intimacy or expand the franchise's scope is a question only the script will answer. What is clear is that Ice Cube has chosen a collaborator with recent momentum rather than a veteran of the series, and that choice is likely to be read as a statement of intent about where "Friday" goes next.

For now, the project remains in early development, with no cast beyond Ice Cube confirmed and no timeline announced. Hollywood Buzz News will continue to follow the story as details emerge.

Source: Hollywood Reporter