Paramount will move ahead with releasing Rush Hour 4 following direct prodding from President Donald Trump on behalf of director Brett Ratner. Producer Tarak Ben Ammar is securing financing for the long-delayed sequel.
The news was confirmed Tuesday by journalist Matthew Belloni, who reported new movement on the project starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker after Trump’s intervention and amid Ammar’s ongoing efforts to finalize funding.
As Deadline reports:
We’ve confirmed with sources that Paramount is releasing the next Rush Hour sequel from Brett Ratner. The studio is distributing on behalf of Warner Bros for a double-digit-percent distribution fee.
Intriguing deal at an intriguing time: The David Ellison-owned Paramount is one of the bidders for Warner Bros Discovery. This is arguably the studios’ first team-up since Ellison took control of the Melrose Avenue lot and follows a moment when all WBD bids were due last week (Netflix and Comcast are the other suitors).
Apparently, a number of studios passed on releasing the new Rush Hour including Warner Bros’ own New Line, the architect behind the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker franchise that blasted Ratner’s directing career out of a cannon, spawning a trilogy that has grossed $850 million at the global box office.
Despite the franchise’s blockbuster pedigree, the latest installment had previously been rejected by multiple studios, including Paramount, due to Brett Ratner’s 2017 sexual assault allegations from several women — allegations he has denied. Those accusations made any attempt to revive the series politically and ethically fraught within Hollywood.
Until now, that is.
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