Paramount revives ‘Rush Hour’ franchise reportedly after Trump’s request

Paramount Pictures is distributing “Rush Hour 4” after a report suggested President Donald Trump personally lobbied the company for another sequel.

Deadline confirmed Tuesday that Paramount Pictures will distribute the fourth installment of the buddy-cop action series starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker on behalf of Warner Bros. Discovery. Chan and Tucker are expected to return, along with franchise director Brett Ratner.

The news followed a Semafor report Sunday that Trump had been speaking with Paramount owner David Ellison, son of longtime donor Larry Ellison, about possibly reviving the franchise.

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Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan starred in the 1998 movie “Rush Hour.” (New Line Cinema/Getty Images)

“Trump appears to want to revive the raucous comedies and action movies of the late 1980s to late 1990s,” the report read. “He’s passionate, for instance, about the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme sports flick ‘Bloodsport.’ A person directly familiar with the conversations told Semafor that the president of the United States has personally pressed the Paramount owner to revive another franchise from Ratner: ‘Rush Hour,’ a buddy-cop comedy starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker that blended physical comedy, martial arts and gags about racial stereotypes.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Paramount for comment.

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Ratner previously worked with the Trump family after directing a documentary about first lady Melania Trump in the days leading up to the 2025 inauguration that is set to be released in January.

President Donald Trump reportedly lobbied Paramount CEO David Ellison for a new “Rush Hour” film. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Arthur M. Sarkissian, who produced all three “Rush Hour” films, also produced the 2024 documentary “The Man You Don’t Know” through his company, Global Ascension Studios. The documentary, released before the 2024 presidential election, sought to offer “fresh perspectives” on Trump through interviews with friends and family.

Franchise stars Chan and Tucker have been comparatively supportive of Trump in the past, especially when compared with outspoken liberal figures in Hollywood.

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In 2016, Chan encouraged people to give Trump “a chance to try to change America and change the world” after he won his first presidential election.

Director Brett Ratner previously worked on a documentary about first lady Melania Trump. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“He’s a businessman…I think he knows how to handle these types of things,” Chan told Yahoo Celebrity.

In 2018, Tucker told “Good Morning Britain” that he hoped Trump “does a good job” and that he would “pray for him.”

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“I hope he does a good job because, listen, we need a great president. We need a lot of things to happen in our country, in America. I hope he does good. I hope tomorrow he wakes up and does the right thing,” Tucker said.