Oh Hell No, a new comedy from Sony that was supposed to feature Ice Cube and Jack Black in co-starring roles, just lost Cube because he didn’t want to get vaccinated, which was a requirement for the film’s cast.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Cube has long been an advocate of wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID:
Throughout the pandemic, Ice Cube has promoted mask-wearing. In August, Bacone College in Oklahoma thanked the star and others for a donation of 2,000 face masks to use as personal protective equipment. In April 2020, amid COVID-19 lockdowns, he unveiled “Check Yo Self Before You Wreck Yo Self” branded T-shirts, featuring the star in a mask, in partnership with the manufacturer Black Out, with proceeds to benefit frontline health workers.
I’m not sure exactly how Ice Cube feels about the vaccine, but I think I may have a slight idea.
Sony aimed to start shooting Oh Hell No sometime this winter but had to prolong that start because of an injury Black suffered in June, around the time he and Cube first partnered on the film.
Oh Hell No is being produced by Black and Matt Tolmach, with Kitao Sakurai on board as the director. Neither producers nor Sony had a comment on Ice Cube leaving the film.
The studio is currently searching for a fill in for Ice Cube, who left $9 million on the table when he departed the film, THR reports.