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Donald Trump is reportedly pressuring Paramount studios to reboot his favorite film franchise.
As Paramount’s owner Larry Ellison, the second-richest man in the world and one of Trump’s biggest financial donors, is poised to take over Warner Bros. Discovery, Trump is throwing in some ideas about future Paramount projects, Semafor’s Max Tani reported.
Trump, 79, is said to have “personally pressed” Ellison to make another installment of the Rush Hour franchise, Brett Ratner’s buddy-cop movies starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
The president reportedly wants to bring back the distinct action movies and comedies that took over the film scene from the late 1980s to the 1990s, according to Semafor.
Trump has been open about his love for action movies in the past. A 1997 New Yorker profile noted his love for the 1988 sports story Bloodsport, directed by Newt Arnold and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, which he called “an incredible, fantastic movie.” He said at the time that he fast-forwarded through the movie’s slow parts to watch the fight scenes.
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Donald Trump is reportedly pressuring Paramount to reboot the Rush Hour franchise (Getty)
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Rush Hour premiered in 1998, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker (Getty Images)
His other favorite movies include Citizen Kane, Goodfellas, Gone With the Wind, and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
The first Rush Hour movie, a comedy featuring martial arts and jokes about racial stereotypes, was released in 1998 and became a box office hit, grossing over $245 million worldwide. It was followed by two sequels in 2001 and 2007.
Fans have speculated about Rush Hour 4 production for years. Jackie Chan said in 2017 that a script for the fourth installment had been completed. However, shortly after his remarks, Warner Bros severed ties with Ratner following multiple sexual assault accusations against him, including from Juno actor Elliot Page. Ratner has denied all allegations against him and no charges have ever been filed.
The White House did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment.
The takeover of Warner Bros Discovery would mean that Paramount, which is run by Ellison’s son David, beat out bids by Netflix and Comcast to acquire the Warner movie catalog and production company.
While Ratner’s controversy might have previously stopped a new Rush Hour movie from being greenlit, the president’s ongoing relationship with the embattled director and producer could bring him back into the picture.
Ratner’s first project since his retreat from Hollywood is a $40 million Amazon documentary on Melania Trump set to be released in January. The doc will follow the first lady for the 20 days leading up to Trump’s 2025 inauguration.