NEED TO KNOW
Ice Cube is slithering back to his Anaconda roots.
On Saturday, Dec. 13 — 28 years after starring in the 1997 original movie — the actor showed up to surprise fans at the Los Angeles premiere of a comedic new take on the franchise.
Speaking about his surprise appearance in the soon-to-be-released movie, Ice Cube, 56, told reporters on the red carpet, “It’s cool to do a cameo, to kind of make it go full circle in a way.”
“When they asked me to do it, when I knew the kind of movie they were doing, I jumped at it,” he continued. “I’m like, ‘This is something different. It’s cool.’ ”
Added Ice Cube: “People probably get a kick out of me popping on the screen.”
JC Olivera/Sony Pictures via Getty
The new Anaconda stars Jack Black and Paul Rudd as lifelong friends who have “always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie: the cinematic ‘classic,’ Anaconda,” a synopsis teases.
A midlife crisis inspires the pair to pursue their dream, so they travel to the Amazon to stage their very own remake.
“But,” adds the synopsis, “things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed.”
Columbia Pictures
The 1997 thriller that starred Jennifer Lopez as documentarian Terri Flores and Ice Cube as cameraman Danny — alongside costars Owen Wilson, Eric Stoltz, Danny Trejo and Jon Voight — was about a film crew fighting to survive a giant killer snake.
From director Tom Gormican, who was behind 2022’s meta Nicolas Cage movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, 2025’s Anaconda also stars Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior, Selton Mello and Steve Zahn.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Black, 56, previously told PEOPLE the new film is an “exciting mix of comedy and horror,” calling it “the thrill ride of the season.”
He added that it was “so fun” to team up with Rudd, 56. “It was the main reason I wanted to do the movie,” says Black. “I’m a huge fan of Paul’s work. Dude is f—ing hilarious. And a sweet pea to boot!”
Anaconda is in theaters on Dec. 25.
