Ice Cube Re-Teams With ‘Ride Along’ Director for ‘Humbug’

Just the thought of Ice Cube shouting “Bah, humbug!” is enough to inspire a laughing fit, and while he may not utter that distinctive phrase in his new Christmas movie, he will get downright Scrooge-y for the part. Ice Cube is re-teaming with Ride Along and Barbershop director Tim Story for Humbug, a contemporary take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Deadline reports that Ice Cube will lead the cast of Humbug, which offers a spin on the classic Dickens’ tale with the actor playing an Ebeneezer Scrooge-type. In the new version, Ice Cube’s character is a real estate mogul who is visited by the ghosts of past, present and future to teach him a lesson and help him reform his stingy ways.

Earl Ritchey Jones and Todd R. Jones wrote the screenplay for Humbug, which Story will presumably direct next. Story recently returned to the director’s chair for Ride Along 2, which re-teams Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in the sequel to 2014's successful action comedy. The director also worked with Ice Cube on Barbershop, which is getting a new sequel in 2016.

Ride Along 2 is slated for a release next year, and it’s unclear if Story and Universal Pictures are also shooting for a 2016 release for Humbug.