Former President Donald Trump is reported to have played a decisive role in the revival of the “Rush Hour” movie franchise, with studio executives green-lighting a fourth film, “Rush Hour 4”, after his intervention. The planned sequel will reunite the original stars alongside the return of director Brett Ratner, whose involvement has stirred fresh debate given his controversial past.
According to people familiar with the negotiations, Trump lobbied a top studio investor to back the project, arguing that the comedy-action films featuring martial-arts sequences, cross-cultural humour and the dynamic between the lead actors embodied a spirit he believes modern audiences are missing. The studio, which acquired rights to distribute the film through a new corporate structure, reportedly agreed as part of a broader reshuffling of assets and influence in Hollywood.
The original “Rush Hour” trilogy, starring the Hong Kong martial-arts icon and the American comedian, launched the careers of its leads and enjoyed global box-office success. But attempts to produce a fourth instalment repeatedly stalled over the years, primarily because of concerns over commercial viability and questions around which director would helm the film. That changed when the new studio leadership, under pressure from key stakeholders, reopened the project.
Rather than selecting a fresh filmmaker to distance the film from past controversies, the studio opted to bring back the original director. His return has prompted immediate backlash among critics, industry insiders, and audiences who remember the serious misconduct allegations that derailed his career during the “MeToo” era. Those allegations had led major studios to cut business ties with him, leaving the project in limbo for nearly a decade.