Paul Rudd says Ice Cube’s blessing on new Anaconda is like “Being blessed by the Pope”!

Hollywood is buzzing with excitement as #Anaconda, the highly anticipated film, gears up for its Christmas Day release this year. Led by comedy icons Paul Rudd and #JackBlack, the film blends humour, horror and self-aware storytelling — and has now received a symbolic endorsement from one of the original movie’s most memorable stars.

Speaking at the Anaconda premiere in Los Angeles, Paul Rudd described rapper-actor Ice Cube’s nod of approval as “like being blessed by the Pope.” “It means everything. That’s like being blessed by the Pope,” he joked. “You go over, you kiss the ring and he gives you a pat on the head and says, ‘Good job, son.’”

In a surprise red carpet appearance, Ice Cube revealed that he enthusiastically accepted a cameo role in the new film — 28 years after his involvement in the 1997 original. “When they asked me to do it, and I knew the kind of movie they were doing, I jumped at it,” Cube told reporters. His return has been hailed by fans as a nostalgic and fitting bookend to his early career in the franchise.

Rather than a straight remake, the 2025 Anaconda offers a meta twist on the original story. Rudd and Black play lifelong friends determined to film their own low-budget remake of the beloved snake thriller. Their adventure into the Amazon quickly turns chaotic and dangerous when they encounter a real giant snake — turning their movie-within-a-movie into a very real jungle survival story.

Sony Pictures Entertainment India releases Anaconda on 25th December in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

By Keerti Kadam