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. <\/p>\n
Jeff Vespa | WireImage | Getty Images<\/p>\n
A push from President Donald Trump<\/a> led Paramount Skydance<\/a> to revive its “Rush Hour” buddy cop movie series, two decades after the last installment, according to multiple reports Tuesday.<\/p>\n Paramount has secured funding for “Rush Hour 4” and struck a distribution arrangement with Warner Bros. Discovery<\/a>, which previously owned the franchise under its New Line banner, Puck’s Matthew Belloni reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n The project had been in limbo for years.<\/p>\n Studios were repeatedly approached about a new installment, but had balked at working with director Brett Ratner<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ratner’s career collapsed in 2017 after several female actors accused him of sexual misconduct<\/a>. He has denied the allegations and was never charged.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Ratner, in late 2024, was tapped to direct a documentary about first lady Melania Trump<\/a> for Amazon<\/a> Prime, which reportedly paid $40 million for the rights to make it.<\/p>\n In the “Rush Hour 4” deal, Paramount will collect a flat distribution fee to release the film in theaters, Variety first reported<\/a>. Warner Bros. will take an undisclosed share of box-office receipts before financiers recoup costs.<\/p>\n Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. did not respond to requests for comment. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The first three “Rush Hour” films were global hits<\/a>, particularly in China, earning more than $850 million worldwide, according to box office estimates. They also turned Jackie Chan<\/a> and Chris Tucker<\/a> into major stars.<\/p>\n But the new sequel faces a changed theatrical landscape where comedies have struggled at the box office<\/a>.<\/p>\n And at 71 years old, Chan has scaled back U.S. studio work, while Tucker has not headlined a major film since 2007.<\/p>\n Both Chan and Tucker are expected to be in the new film.<\/p>\n Trump’s intervention in Hollywood has drawn criticism<\/a>. <\/p>\n He has informally tapped allies including Sylvester Stallone, Jon Voight<\/a>, and Mel Gibson as cultural emissaries, and has repeatedly said he wants to restore what he calls “classical masculinity” to studio filmmaking.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The timing also overlaps with a major industry shake-up: Paramount Skydance, Comcast<\/a>, and Netflix<\/a> have all submitted first-round bids to acquire Warner Bros<\/a>. The company’s portfolio includes some of entertainment’s most valuable franchises, from DC to Harry Potter.<\/p>\n Paramount is bidding for all of Warner Bros. Its proposal<\/a>, previously valued at about $23.50 per share, would bring the entire company<\/a> \u2014 the studio, HBO Max<\/a>, and the cable networks \u2014 under one owner.<\/p>\n Comcast<\/a> 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<\/a> and TNT Sports before the deal closes. <\/p>\n Netflix <\/a>is also interested in the film and streaming assets, people familiar with the matter previously told CNBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n