President Donald Trump‘s movie wish could soon become reality. Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ:PSKY) is reportedly set to release a fourth movie in the "Rush Hour" franchise, partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) to do so.
New "Rush Hour" Movie
Each year, sequels and reboots are among the most anticipated movies, thanks to built-in fan bases and proven box-office results.
Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are hoping to have a box-office hit with "Rush Hour 4," which Deadline reports is in the works.
Several studios previously passed on releasing the movie from Brett Ratner, including the New Line unit owned by Warner Bros. But now Paramount Skydance is teaming up to distribute the film on behalf of Warner Bros., according to the report.
Paramount Skydance will collect a double-digit percent distribution fee for helping with the film, sources told Variety.
The sequel would be the first in the franchise since 2007, and stars Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan will return. Here were the three previous releases and their box office results, as reported by BoxOfficeMojo:
- Rush Hour (1998): $141.2 million domestic, $244.7 million global
- Rush Hour 2 (2001): $226.2 million domestic, $347.3 million global
- Rush Hour 3 (2007): $140.1 million domestic, $258.1 million global
One reason the sequel didn’t move forward is due to past allegations against Ratner. Six women, including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, accused Ratner of sexual assault and harassment.
Melanie Kohler, a former Endeavor employee, accused Ratner of sexual assault in an October 2017. Ratner filed a defamation lawsuit against her, but the two parties settled.
Trump Behind Film Revival?
While Ratner and/or Warner Bros. shopped "Rush Hour 4" for a while, there may be another reason why the film was greenlit.
Trump has been pressing Paramount Skydance investor Larry Ellison, whose son David Ellison is CEO of the media company, to bring back the "Rush Hour" franchise with a fourth film, according to a report from the New York Post.
The report comes as Ellison's Paramount Skydance is one of three bidders for Warner Bros. Discovery, alongside Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX). A combined Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. entity could create one company to enjoy the success of "Rush Hour 4″ — rather than split profits.
Trump favors Paramount Skydance to win the Warner Bros. Discovery auction. The Trump administration even went as far as to warn other studios before they bid.
“Who owns Warner Bros. Discovery is every important to the administration,” a senior Trump administration official told the New York Post. “The Warner board needs to think very seriously not just on the price competition but which player in the suitor pool has been successful getting a deal done.”
The senior administration official said this criteria "points to the Ellisons," suggesting Paramount Skydance as the favorite.
“Warner really needs to think really hard about the odds of success getting the deal cleared with players outside of Paramount Skydance.”
The comments from the Trump administration suggest Netflix and Comcast could have a tougher time of completing an acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, potentially facing regulatory hurdles.
Trump also has ties to Ratner and "Rush Hour" producer Arthur Sarkissian.
Ratner recently directed the documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, which hits movie theaters in January 2026. The film scored $40 million from Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), who produced the film and will stream it on Prime Video after an exclusive theatrical run.
Sarkissian runs a production company that helmed the film "The Man You Don't Know," a documentary about Trump that featured interviews with some of his family members. The film premiered at Trump's Mar-a-Lago during his 2024 presidential campaign.
The New York Post said that while some members of Hollywood have spoken out against Trump, both Chan and Tucker have not been negative on the president.
"Rush Hour 4" could be coming back because Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery think the film can be a box office hit. The film could also be a reality thanks to Trump putting pressure on Paramount Skydance to help out his media friends.
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