Ice Cube Walks Off Movie Because Of Vaccine Request
It's being reported that Ice Cube walked off the set of a movie because of a vaccine request made by those in the production.
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With the Covid-19 pandemic far from over, the topic of vaccine mandates seems to only be ramping up. It’s been a source of some consternation on movie sets as well and allegedly there was another example this week of a prominent star walking off the set of a film because of proposed vaccine rules. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ice Cube has left the filming of Oh Hell No which he was set to star in. It was set to begin filming shortly.
According to the THR reporting, all parties involved have declined to comment publicly on the situation. But apparently, this decision by Ice Cube comes on the heels of producers asking him to get the Covid-19 vaccine prior to coming onto the set. With the title of the film more than a little ironic at this point, it appears that Ice Cube will no longer take part in the film, will forego his reported $9 million salary for the film and the production is now seeking a replacement.
Oh Hell No was set to star Ice Cube and Jack Black in the lead roles. The flick is a comedy set around Jack Black’s character falling in live with Ice Cube’s mother. Director Kitao Sakurai is helming the film after having worked with comedian Eric Andre for years. The pairing of Black and Ice Cube was announced by Deadline over the summer but was delayed following an injury to Jack Black in another production. It’s unclear, with Ice Cube allegedly leaving the film, what happens now or whether the timeline for filming and release will be pushed back.
Interestingly enough, THR also included in its reporting that Ice Cube had left another production, Flint Strong, during the summer. This had not been widely publicized prior to the word that he had left Oh Hell No. According to various outlets with details on Flint Strong, Ice Cube is still attached. If the actor leaving both productions was part of simultaneous moves, it isn’t totally clear at this point. Flint Strong movie was supposed to have commenced filming in June following a lengthy, pandemic-related delay, but it isn’t clear where they are in that process.
Ice Cube isn’t the only Hollywood and entertainment star to come to the forefront when it comes to the current vaccine mandate debate. Going in the other direction, Sean Penn had refused to come back to filming his movie Gaslit until all members of the cast and crew were vaccinated. He reached a deal with the studio over that issue last month. And there have been others who have simply walked off of jobs when companies implemented vaccine mandates in the workplace.
With such a high-profile move, by a Hollywood A-lister, we are sure to get some kind of official word from either Ice Cube’s camp or the studio in short order. These kinds of things rarely keep folks quiet for too long. The actual details might even give a more specific explanation for why Ice Cube would walk away from the movie. And it’s also unclear what happens with other films he has in the pipeline including Accidentes, Ride Along 3, and Humbug all of which are on different parts of the production timeline.
