Key Takeaways:
- President Donald Trump is reportedly urging Paramount owner Larry Ellison to revive the popular buddy-cop franchise Rush Hour.
- The push is seen as part of Trump’s broader interest in shaping American pop culture with a preference for action and comedy films from the late 1980s and 1990s.
- A potential sequel could involve original director Brett Ratner, who has recently re-emerged in pro-Trump circles after facing misconduct allegations.
- The franchise’s stars, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, have previously made neutral-to-positive comments about Trump.
Former President Donald Trump is reportedly turning his attention from policy to pop culture, personally lobbying for a revival of the blockbuster Rush Hour film franchise. According to an exclusive report, Trump has pressed his supporter and Paramount owner, Larry Ellison, to greenlight a fourth installment of the action-comedy series starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
A Presidential Pitch for Hollywood
Sources familiar with the discussions claim Trump is keen to influence the entertainment landscape, favoring the “raucous comedies and action movies” of the late ‘80s and ‘90s. His interest in Rush Hour is a direct move to bring back a franchise that blended martial arts, comedy, and globally recognized stars.
The original film, released in 1998, was a massive box office hit, spawning two sequels. However, the series has been dormant since 2007’s Rush Hour 3. A key figure in the franchise, director Brett Ratner, was largely sidelined from Hollywood in 2017 following sexual misconduct allegations. Recently, Ratner has seen a career revival, notably directing a documentary about Melania Trump for Amazon, suggesting his ties to the Trump circle could facilitate a comeback for the franchise.
The Stars and the Studio
The film’s original stars have also maintained a relatively neutral stance on Trump over the years. In 2016, Jackie Chan suggested giving the then-president-elect a chance, citing his business background. Similarly, Chris Tucker has avoided direct criticism, telling Piers Morgan in 2018 that he hoped Trump would “do the right thing” and even offered a lighthearted impression of him.
Despite the reports of high-level interest, both the White House and Paramount have declined to comment on the potential project. Trump’s push is seen by some as part of a larger “cultural red-lash,” an attempt to champion entertainment that aligns with more traditional, “anti-woke” sensibilities, leveraging his connections with powerful figures in media and technology like Ellison. Whether audiences will see Detectives Lee and Carter back on the big screen may now depend on this unusual intersection of Hollywood and Washington.
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