Jackie Chan, 71, Returns for "Rush Hour 4" as Trump’s Influence Plays a Role

Paramount Signs Sequel Deal, "Trump's Lobbying Was Decisive"
Disgraced Director Returns After Sexual Harassment Allegations

As former U.S. President Donald Trump extends his influence into Hollywood, the film "Rush Hour," which effectively concluded after its third installment in 2007, is set to return with a sequel nearly two decades later.

Hong Kong action actor and Hollywood star Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan Instagram

According to Variety, CNBC, and other U.S. media outlets on the 25th (local time), film production company Paramount Skydance recently finalized a production and distribution deal for "Rush Hour 4." Notably, it has been reported that President Trump played a decisive role in this deal by lobbying his friend and supporter Larry Ellison. Ellison is the founder of software company Oracle and the father of David Ellison, the current CEO of Paramount Skydance.

As a result, "Rush Hour" is moving forward with a fourth installment, 18 years after the third film. Action stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, who have starred since the first movie, will reprise their roles, and, as with previous installments, director Brett Ratner is expected to return to helm the project.

Ratner was disgraced and left the film industry in 2017 after a series of allegations that he sexually harassed several actresses. However, in 2024, he made his return to Hollywood by directing a documentary about President Trump and his wife Melania. This documentary is being produced by Prime Video, the streaming platform under Amazon, which is owned by Jeff Bezos, who is known to be close to Trump.

This move to produce another "Rush Hour" film is also drawing attention because it comes as President Trump secured a large settlement in a civil lawsuit against CBS, alleging the network had reported unfavorably on him. CBS's parent company is Paramount, which is producing the new "Rush Hour" sequel.

The Guardian pointed out that criticism is growing over President Trump exerting influence even in the cultural sector, noting the reaction, "Does the world really want Rush Hour 4?" The newspaper further commented, "Trump's second term is trying to revive outdated masculinity in Hollywood."

Meanwhile, "Rush Hour" is an action-comedy film that humorously depicts the process of two combative detectives, played by Jackie Chan and Tucker, working together to solve cases. Following the huge success of the first film released in 1998, the second and third installments were also box office hits, with the franchise grossing a total of $850 million (about 1.25 trillion won) worldwide. However, the series was discontinued after allegations of sexual harassment against director Ratner surfaced.

With former box office stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reportedly set to return for "Rush Hour 4," CNBC noted that Jackie Chan is now 71 years old, and Chris Tucker has not had any notable roles since 2007.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.