Trump ask to Paramount revives ‘Rush Hour 4’ movie

A push led by President Donald Trump Paramount Skydance to revive its “Rush Hour” buddy cop film series, two decades after the last installment, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

Paramount has secured funding for “Rush Hour 4” and has begun a distribution arrangement. warner bros discoveryPuck’s Matthew Belloni, who previously owned the franchise under the New Line banner.

This project was stuck in limbo for years.

The studio was repeatedly contacted about a new installment, but they declined to work with director Brett Ratner.

Ratner’s career collapsed in 2017 when several female actors accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations and was never charged.

Belloni explained that Paramount’s decision to release “Rush Hour 4” came “after Trump asked on behalf of Brett Ratner,” who will direct the film.

Ratner was chosen to direct a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump in late 2024 Amazon Prime, which reportedly paid $40 million for the rights to make it.

Variety first reported that in the “Rush Hour 4” deal, Paramount will collect a flat distribution fee to release the film in theaters. Warner Bros. will take an undisclosed portion of the box-office receipts before financiers recover costs.

Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. did not respond to requests for comment. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment.

The first three “Rush Hour” films were global hits, especially in China, grossing over $850 million worldwide, according to box office estimates. He also turned Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker into major stars.

But the new sequel faces a changed theatrical landscape where comedies have struggled at the box office.

And at the age of 71, Chan has stopped working for American studios, while Tucker has not appeared in a major film since 2007.

Both Chan and Tucker are expected to be in the new film.

Trump’s intervention has drawn criticism in Hollywood.

He has informally chosen colleagues including Sylvester Stallone, Jon Voight, and Mel Gibson as cultural ambassadors, and has repeatedly said that he wants to restore what he calls “classical masculinity” in studio filmmaking.

For Paramount, the “Rush Hour” revival comes as the newly combined studio aims to nearly double its output, aiming for 15 films in 2026 and 18 films by 2028.

This time also coincided with a major industry change: Paramount Skydance, ComcastAnd Netflix All have submitted first-round bids to acquire Warner Bros. The company’s portfolio includes some of the most valuable franchises in entertainment, from DC to Harry Potter.

Paramount is bidding for the entire Warner Bros. Its offer, previously valued at about $23.50 a share, would bring the entire company — studios, HBO Max and cable networks — under one owner.

Comcast reportedly has interest in studio and streaming assets including Warner Bros. and HBO Max. The deal will turn those pieces over to NBCUniversal and spin off Warner Bros. Discovery from CNN and TNT Sports before the deal closes.

Netflix is ​​also interested in film and streaming properties, people familiar with the matter previously told CNBC.

Warner Bros. Discovery aims to complete its sale process in mid- to late December, CNBC previously reported.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant will become the new parent company of CNBC following the planned spinoff of Versant by Comcast.