Actors Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan arrive to the premiere of “Rush Hour 3” at Mann’s Chinese Theater on July 30, 2007 in Hollywood, California.
Jeff Vespa | WireImage | Getty Images
A push from President Donald Trump led Paramount Skydance to revive its “Rush Hour” buddy cop movie series, two decades after the last installment, according to multiple reports Tuesday.
Paramount has secured funding for “Rush Hour 4” and struck a distribution arrangement with Warner Bros. Discovery, which previously owned the franchise under its New Line banner, Puck’s Matthew Belloni reported.
The project had been in limbo for years.
Studios were repeatedly approached about a new installment, but had balked at working with director Brett Ratner.
Ratner’s career collapsed in 2017 after several female actors accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations and was never charged.
Belloni reported that Paramount’s decision to release “Rush Hour 4” came “after prodding from Trump on behalf of Brett Ratner,” who will direct the film.
Ratner, in late 2024, was tapped to direct a documentary about first lady Melania Trump for Amazon Prime, which reportedly paid $40 million for the rights to make it.
In the “Rush Hour 4” deal, Paramount will collect a flat distribution fee to release the film in theaters, Variety first reported. Warner Bros. will take an undisclosed share of box-office receipts before financiers recoup costs.
Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. did not respond to requests for comment. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment.
The first three “Rush Hour” films were global hits, particularly in China, earning more than $850 million worldwide, according to box office estimates. They also turned Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker into major stars.
But the new sequel faces a changed theatrical landscape where comedies have struggled at the box office.
And at 71 years old, Chan has scaled back U.S. studio work, while Tucker has not headlined a major film since 2007.
Both Chan and Tucker are expected to be in the new film.
Trump’s intervention in Hollywood has drawn criticism.
He has informally tapped allies including Sylvester Stallone, Jon Voight, and Mel Gibson as cultural emissaries, and has repeatedly said he wants to restore what he calls “classical masculinity” to studio filmmaking.
For Paramount, the “Rush Hour” revival comes as the newly combined studio aims to nearly double its output, targeting 15 films in 2026 and up to 18 by 2028.
The timing also overlaps with a major industry shake-up: Paramount Skydance, Comcast, and Netflix have all submitted first-round bids to acquire Warner Bros. The company’s portfolio includes some of entertainment’s most valuable franchises, from DC to Harry Potter.
Paramount is bidding for all of Warner Bros. Its proposal, previously valued at about $23.50 per share, would bring the entire company — the studio, HBO Max, and the cable networks — under one owner.
Comcast is reportedly interested in the studio and streaming assets, including Warner Bros. and HBO Max. The deal would fold those pieces into NBCUniversal and let Warner Bros. Discovery spin off CNN and TNT Sports before the deal closes.
Netflix is also interested in the film and streaming assets, people familiar with the matter previously told CNBC.
Warner Bros. Discovery aims to have its sale process wrapped by mid- to late-December, CNBC previously reported.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would become the new parent company of CNBC upon Comcast’s planned spinoff of Versant.