10 Insane Reasons Actors Didn't Return For Movie Sequels
2. Chris Tucker's Religious Beliefs - Next Friday
1995's legendary stoner comedy Friday was a critical and commercial success, and so a sequel was all but inevitable, with Next Friday finally being released in 2000.
However, star Chris Tucker - who played Smokey in the original film - opted not to appear in either Next Friday or 2002's third film Friday After Next, and has also declined a role in the upcoming final film, Last Friday.
Tucker decided to walk away from the franchise after becoming a born-again Christian in 1997, with co-star Ice Cube more recently affirming that Tucker "didn't want to cuss or smoke weed on camera anymore."
Now, there's nothing wrong with Tucker's religious beliefs, but it's pretty wild that this led to him exiting such an iconic franchise so soon.
Considering that Next Friday explains Smokey's absence away by revealing he's in rehab, that might've actually been a natural way for Tucker to still appear in the film in a more subdued way without taking drugs. Hell, you could even add that the rehab clinic doesn't want him swearing either.
But here's the truly insane part - Cube added that Tucker's convictions were strong enough that he even turned down an eye-watering $10-12 million payday to star in Last Friday.
On one hand, fair play to the guy. On the other, that's a ludicrous amount of money to leave on the table.