Ice Cube‘s got game. Just ask Samuel L. Jackson.
Jackson isn’t down with rappers scoring film roles simply to keep themselves busy between albums. But he’s willing to work with rappers who take acting seriously, and that means Ice Cube, his XXX: State of the Union costar, is making all the right moves.
Ice Cube‘s come a long way since his days as AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted hardcore gangsta rapper. With the exception of Will Smith, whose PG-rated hip-hop hits instantly granted him mainstream appeal, no other rapper’s managed to conquer Hollywood with the same force and tenacity as Ice Cube. He’s anchored two profitable franchises, started his own production company, and called the shots as both a writer and a director.
He surprised everyone in 1991 with his tough but riveting performance as an ill-fated gang member in John Singleton’s Boyz N the Hood. Then he let his perpetual scowl turn into a smile for Friday (1995), a genuinely wacky Cheech & Chong-style comedy featuring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker as potheads in the hood. Who knew one of the perpetrators behind N.W.A.’s F*** tha Police possessed such a wicked sense of humor?
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Ice Cube’s Greatest Hits | |
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| 1. Are We There Yet? $81.3M* | |||
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| 2. Barbershop $75.7M | |||
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| 3. Anaconda $65.8M | |||
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| 4. Barbershop 2: Back in Business $65.1M | |||
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| 5. Three Kings $60.6M | |||
| *As of April 15, 2005 | |||
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Friday spawned two sequels and paved the way for the civic-minded shenanigans of Barbershop and its sequel. Buoyed by the success of the Barbershop franchise, Ice Cube immediately sought to “test the boundaries” of his appeal by hitting the road with Are We There Yet?, he told Hollywood.com in January, The gamble paid off, and Ice Cube scored his biggest smash with a family farce reminiscent of Home Alone and Daddy Day Care. But Ice Cube‘s bad-ass reputation probably took a hit with each scratch to his Lincoln Navigator.
So Vin Diesel‘s loss should be Ice Cube‘s gain.
State of the Union offers Ice Cube a quick and easy way to reestablish his street cred after the kid-friendly antics of Are We There Yet? But this is a one-shot deal: following Diesel‘s unexpected departure from the XXX sequel, the franchise’s producers decided to enlist a different NSA agent to undertake each new mission.
Hiring Ice Cube as the latest XXX does represent a huge risk. With few exceptions, Ice Cube‘s floundered in his bid to be embraced as a man of action.
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Ice Cube’s Greatest Misses | |
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| 1. The Glass Shield $3.2M | |||
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| 2. Dangerous Ground $5.3M | |||
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| 3. John Carpenter’s Ghost of Mars $8.7M | |||
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| 4. Trespass $13.2M | |||
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| 5. Torque $21.2M | |||
| *As of April 15, 2005 | |||
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Trespass, John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars, All About the Benjamins and Torque failed to make a strong impression at the box office. The success of Anaconda and Three Kings owes more to their ensemble casts than Ice Cube‘s presence. If audiences refuse to accept Ice Cube with a gun in hand, rather than a joint or a pair of scissors, then XXX is doomed as a franchise.
But that’s not likely to happen. Ice Cube‘s at the peak of his popularity, and he’s demonstrated an ability to appeal to audiences regardless of age and color. The transition from Diesel to Ice Cube should go smoothly, but don’t expect State of the Union to outperform XXX ($44.5 million opening, $142 million total). The first XXX, which arrived with much hype and fanfare, benefited from being the last action extravaganza to open in summer 2002.
State of the Union opens at the end of April–one week before Hollywood’s summer unofficially begins on May 5–and faces stiff competition in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. For State of the Union to be considered a success, it must at least best April 2002’s The Scorpion King ($36 million opening, $91 million total). But Ice Cube‘s in good hands: State of the Union director Lee Tamahori recently guided James Bond to his biggest payday with Die Another Day ($160.9 million).
Regardless of State of the Union‘s fate, Ice Cube‘s not rushing into another gunfight. He’s planning a quick return to comedy with a remake of Cary Grant‘s 1948 Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. But if State of the Union hits it big, then maybe Ice Cube will finally call into action The Extractors, a long-gestating thriller about a group that organizes and executes prison breaks.
The Bottom Line
Ice Cube revealed his cute and cuddly side with Are We There Yet? But now it’s time to put the kids to bed and thwart a plan to overthrow the U.S. government. If his XXX-rated exploits prove just as popular as his PG-rated tomfoolery, Ice Cube will finally prove he can save the world just as well as he can save the community that his Barbershop calls home.
