Update (Nov. 25): Per Matthew Belloni, Rush Hour 4 is indeed happening at Paramount regardless of any sale. The company worked out a deal with Warner Bros., where the company will get a “double-digit percent distribution fee” for allowing Paramount to make the film.
Original (Nov. 24): Rush Hour 4 has a fan in President Donald Trump, who wants Paramount to make another sequel to the buddy cop franchise starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
What is the latest regarding Rush Hour 4 and Donald Trump?
Paramount does not currently own the rights to the Rush Hour franchise. New Line Cinema, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., distributed all three Rush Hour movies. Paramount is one of the three companies bidding for Warner Bros. Discovery. If Paramount wins the sale, it will control Warner Bros.’ massive library and all of its intellectual property, including Rush Hour.
According to Semafor, Trump is pushing Paramount to revive the Rush Hour franchise if they win the Warner Bros. sale.
Rush Hour 4 has been pitched to studios. The biggest hurdle remains Bret Ratner, who directed the first three movies. During the Me Too movement in October 2017, Ratner was accused of sexual assault by several women, leading Warner Bros. to sever ties with the director.
Rush Hour 4 with Ratner has been a nonstarter since the allegations. However, Trump’s approval of Ratner could lead to a potential fourth installment in the Rush Hour franchise. Ratner directed Melania, an Amazon MGM Studios documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, which arrives in theaters on January 30, 2026.
Rush Hour stars Chan as Chief Inspector Lee, a Hong Kong cop recruited to Los Angeles to find the missing daughter of a Hong Kong diplomat. Upon arrival, Lee is assigned a handler: Detective James Carter (Tucker), the fast-talking cop who wants to make a name for himself in the department. Lee and Carter form an unlikely tandem, and through unorthodox methods, they prove to be the best men to solve the case.
Released in 1998, Rush Hour grossed $245 million worldwide. It spawned two sequels: 2001’s Rush Hour 2 and 2007’s Rush Hour 3.
