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Brett Ratner is reportedly attached to return to the project
Carsen Holadayin New YorkTuesday 25 November 2025 19:26 GMTComments
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Paramount will produce another Rush Hour sequel nearly two decades after the last movie, according to new reports.
The news comes days after Semafor, citing an insider, reported that Donald Trump pressured Paramount owner Larry Ellison, one of his top financial supporters, to revive the franchise in an attempt to bring action and comedy movies back to theaters. Paramount did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment.
After rumors of controversial director Brett Ratner returning for Rush Hour 4 started circulating last year, the installment had difficulty finding a home — until now. Paramount will distribute the newest buddy-cop action movie in theaters on behalf of Warner Bros, who also initially passed on releasing the movie, Deadline reported Tuesday.
Original stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker will return to co-star in the upcoming movie. Ratner, who directed the first three movies, is attached to direct and produce. According to Variety, the filmmaker had shopped Rush Hour 4 to multiple distributors but no one wanted to have their name on the movie due to Ratner’s involvement.
Ratner directed the first three installments in the Rush Hour franchise, with the hit movies grossing $850 million, before his career came to halt following multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him in 2017 from actors including Olivia Munn and Elliot Page. Ratner previously sued Melanie Kohler, a former employee at a talent agent who alleged he raped her, for defamation after she came forward and the two settled in 2018. He has denied all allegations against him.
open image in galleryJackie Chan and Chris Tucker are set to return for ‘Rush Hour 4’ (Getty Images)
open image in galleryBrett Ratner directed the first three installments of the Rush Hour franchise (Getty Images)Rush Hour, released in 1998, was a comedy featuring martial arts and jokes about racial stereotypes as it followed two police officers working together to rescue a Chinese diplomat’s kidnapped daughter. After it was a box office win, the sequels became even bigger commercial successes.
This will mark Ratner’s first feature film since Hercules, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in 2014. However, his first project since his retreat from Hollywood is a $40 million Amazon documentary on Melania Trump that is set to be released in January. The film will follow the first lady for the 20 days leading up to her husband’s 2025 inauguration.
The move comes as Paramount, which is run by Ellison’s son David, recently merged with Skydance and is set to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. This means that Paramount beat out bids by Netflix and Comcast to take over the Warner movie catalog and production company. Paramount Skydance settled a lawsuit with Trump earlier this year over a CBS News interview with the president, who reportedly struck a “side deal” with the Paramount owners.
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