Yesterday’s report that U.S. President Donald Trump wants Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker and filmmaker Brett Ratner to re-team for another “Rush Hour” movie appears to have been serious.
Puck News reports that Paramount is closing in on a deal to distribute a fourth “Rush Hour” film. The deal is purely for distribution and it would not be financing or marketing the movie.
Warners’ New Line Cinema division, which released the previous films, reportedly allowed “Rush Hour 4” to be licensed elsewhere years prior. They will reportedly get first-dollar gross before the financiers recoup any costs.
The potential film would mark the big studio return of disgraced director Brett Ratner, his first narrative feature since being accused of sexual misconduct in 2017 by six women. The first film in 1998 was his big break into filmmaking.
That film followed two police officers who are forced to work together to rescue a Chinese diplomat’s abducted daughter and was a huge hit with $244 million globally. The sequels pulled in $347 million and $258 million, respectively.
One complication is age with both actors considerably older. Chan is now 71 and Tucker is 54. Tucker hasn’t headlined a film since the third movie back in 2007 but still occasionally pops up in supporting roles in films like “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” and “Air”.
