*A follow-up to the wildly successful comedy “One of Them Days” is officially in the pipeline at TriStar Pictures, promising another hilarious chapter for stars Keke Palmer and SZA. The dynamic duo is expected to reprise their roles as best friends Dreux and Alyssa, though specifics about the storyline remain tightly guarded.
The R-rated buddy comedy produced by Issa Rae landed the number one spot in the U.S. following its Jan. 17 release, raking in over $50 million globally. The movie, which marks SZA’s feature film debut, centers on two best friends and roommates in Los Angeles who must come up with rent money after one of their boyfriends takes their cash. “When they discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money, the duo finds themselves going to extremes in a comical race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact,” the synopsis states, per PEOPLE. Palmer and her mother executive-produced the film, directed by Lawrence Lamont.
As Variety reports, “One of Them Days” won over critics, earning a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Its popularity soared on Netflix, where it held a spot in the streamer’s top 10 for three weeks.
Produced by Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media in collaboration with Macro Film Studios, the project also involved ColorCreative’s Deniese Davis, Hoorae’s Sara Rastogi, and Macro’s James Lopez and Poppy Hanks, with executive producers including Charles D. King and Jeff Valeri. The film’s origins trace back to Sony Pictures’ CoCre lab, a 2018 initiative launched with ColorCreative to nurture diverse, emerging screenwriters. Syreeta Singleton’s script, initially titled “The Jungles” after its South LA setting, spent nearly seven years in development before its release.
TriStar Pictures president Nicole Brown praised the CoCre lab’s impact, stating, “It’s something to be really proud of. A lot of studios want to create programs to find new writers and champion new voices, and a lot of those initiatives fizzled out.”
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She emphasized the program’s commitment to supporting talent over time: “This program is, while modern, in terms of championing diverse voices, it’s old-fashioned in the way of believing in writers, believing in talent, investing in talented people, and saying, ‘Let’s keep building this relationship.’”
Sara Rastogi, who co-created the CoCre lab with Bryan Smiley, highlighted the barriers many writers face. “Getting paid is one of the biggest barriers to entry, and as we talked about it, it became apparent that there’s a big difference between the person who gets to sit at the coffee shop and write and the person who has to work at the coffee shop,” she said.
The lab’s patient, supportive approach has paid off, delivering a hit that’s now poised for a sequel.
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