Trump Push Gets ‘Rush Hour 4’ Greenlit by Close Ally At Paramount, Report Says

Jackie Chan, left, and Chris Tucker arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Due to an unexpected push from President Donald Trump to make it happen, Paramount has reportedly greenlit the production of a new Rush Hour movie.

On Sunday, Semafor reported that the president urged Paramount owner Larry Ellison to revive the buddy cop franchise. The first Rush Hour, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, was released in 1998. The duo returned for two more sequels, and all three movies were directed by Brett Ratner. On Trump’s love for the film series, Semafor continued:

Trump appears to want to revive the raucous comedies and action movies of the late 1980s to late 1990s. He’s passionate, for instance, about the 1988 Jean Claude Van Damme sports flick Bloodsport. A person directly familiar with the conversations told Semafor that the president of the United States has personally pressed the Paramount owner to revive another franchise from Ratner: Rush Hour, a buddy-cop comedy starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker that blended physical comedy, martial arts, and gags about racial stereotypes.

Two days after that report, Matthew Belloni of Puck confirmed that Paramount was actually going to do it.

“I teased this last night in ‘What I’m Hearing’ but now confirmed: Paramount WILL release Rush Hour 4 after prodding from Trump on behalf of Brett Ratner,” Belloni said in a tweet. “Distribution deal. Producer Tarak Ben Ammar is lining up financing. Get ready for the dumbest possible state-controlled media.”

Production of a new Rush Hour will surely come with controversy as long as Ratner remains attached to it. In 2017, Ratner was accused by more than half a dozen women of rape, sexual assault, and harassment. Among them were a former talent agency employee, actress Olivia Munn, and actor Elliott Page (formerly Ellen). Warner Bros. cut all ties from Ratner in response to the allegations.

His most recent work is an upcoming documentary on First Lady Melania Trump. Prior to that, he had not directed a movie in over a decade.

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