After many years of confusion and delays, Rush Hour 4 is finally moving forward. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan are coming back together, and the film is now officially happening at Paramount. The movie had been stuck for a long time, but it has now found a studio that will back it and release it.
Reports say that this sudden progress happened after American President Donald Trump stepped in to help filmmaker Brett Ratner. Brett has been trying to bring the franchise back ever since he stepped away from Hollywood because of several sexual misconduct allegations during the MeToo movement. His career had slowed down after the accusations, but this new movie marks his big return to a major studio project.
Brett has recently returned to directing. He made a forty million dollar documentary about Melania Trump for Amazon MGM Studios. This studio is owned by Jeff Bezos, who has also stayed on good terms with Trump. That documentary is expected to release in theatres in January next year.
For years, Brett tried to get Rush Hour 4 made. Studios kept rejecting the idea. But things changed when Trump reportedly reached out to his friend Larry Ellison. Larry is the main shareholder of the newly restructured Paramount Skydance. This company used to be called Paramount Global. Earlier this year, it even settled a lawsuit with Trump over a tense interview that aired on CBS News. After Trump’s involvement, Paramount agreed to fund the movie and also came to a distribution deal with Warner Bros, the studio that originally released the earlier Rush Hour films.
The first three Rush Hour movies were huge hits. Together, they earned more than eight hundred and fifty million dollars worldwide. The series was especially popular in China, where Jackie Chan is a major star. Because of this success, the new movie is being seen as part of Trump’s wider plan to bring back a more traditional and tough image in Hollywood. He has already connected people like Sylvester Stallone, Jon Voight and Mel Gibson to this effort as informal industry ambassadors.
Earlier this year, Jackie Chan spoke about how long the wait has been. While promoting Karate Kid: Legends, he joked that everyone needs to move fast or else he and Chris Tucker will be too old for the action. He said they do not want to be a hundred years old while trying to film Rush Hour again.
With the studio support confirmed and both stars ready, the long-stalled project is finally alive again. Fans who have been waiting for years can now hope to see Lee and Carter back on screen soon.
