Rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube waited for over 10 years to bring his new buddy comedy Ride Along to fruition after struggling to find the perfect co-star for the movie.

The hip-hop veteran reveals the pieces of the puzzle finally began falling into place after setting his sights on Kevin Hart - and he knew the onscreen partnership would be a success after hitting it off with the funnyman from the moment they met.

During a joint interview on America's Today show, Ice Cube said, "It was chemistry instantly at first sight...

"(I knew he was right for the role) after seeing Kevin's stand-up, and I've been watching his career sky rocket.

"This movie has been on the shelf for years, over 10 years, and it was just the right combination... We all thought that it'd be a great plan."

And Hart reveals their close bond made it easy to improvise a lot of the film's dialogue.

He added, "I'm always big on elevating material, just trying to bring new things to it. It's always good to have someone to feed off of, and the good thing about having chemistry is when you get to the improv section of a scene... it can go on and on and on, the sky's the limit and I think we got a lot of good stuff."

Hart stars as a talkative security guard who is invited to join his potential brother-in-law, played by Ice Cube, on a police patrol of Atlanta, Georgia to prove he is worthy of marrying the cop's sister.