It’s official — Rush Hour 4 is in the works at Paramount, for a well-publicized reason. A continuation of the action comedy franchise starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, Rush Hour 4 will again be directed by Brett Ratner, with Paramount distributing on behalf of Warner Bros, amid Paramount CEO David Ellison’s ongoing bid to buy WB.
The original Rush Hour, which was released in 1998, follows a Hong Kong detective and an LAPD detective who are forced to work together to save the kidnapped 11-year-old daughter of a Chinese consul. The buddy cop classic spawned two sequels, which came out in 2001 and 2007, and the trilogy has grossed $850 million.
Deadline reports that Chan and Tucker will also return for the fourth movie. Most bizarrely, the studios are just now releasing Rush Hour 4 because President Donald Trump requested it, as reported by Semafor. Ratner, the director of all three previous Rush Hour movies, recently helmed Amazon MGM Studios’ Melania.
The documentary about First Lady Melania Trump will be released in theaters on January 30, 2026. Before this, Ratner’s career was disrupted due to sexual misconduct allegations in 2017. Warner Bros. distanced itself from him, and though Rush Hour 4 was shopped around, distributors rejected it because of Ratner’s involvement.
Rush Hour 4 will be Ratner’s first feature film since 2014’s Hercules, which was a modest box office success with middling reviews. On the other hand, the Rush Hour movies have declined in reception with each new installment. Rush Hour 3 sits at a 17% Rotten Tomatoes score and grossed $258 million on a budget of $140 million.
In recent years, the legendary Jackie Chan has starred in another legacy sequel, Karate Kid: Legends, as well as lending his voice to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and additional Kung Fu Panda projects. Chris Tucker’s acting credits are sparser, but include 2023’s Air and 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook.
Paramount will be receiving a flat distribution fee for Rush Hour 4, but will not be financing the project. However, given the franchise’s downward trajectory and the overall difficult nature of legacy sequels, many may be skeptical about this resulting in a movie that audiences are actually satisfied with.
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Rush Hour