‘Rush Hour 4’ Revived:โค Paramountโ to Distribute After Reported Trump Push
LOS ANGELES (January 24, 2024) – Paramount Pictures is finalizing a โdeal to โdistribute โค”Rush Hour 4,” marking a โpotential comeback for director โคBrett Ratner and theโ popular action-comedy franchise after years of stalled development andโฃ controversy. The move comes following a reported personal request from former President Donald Trump,โฃ raisingโข questions about the intersection โof entertainment deals and political influence.
the distribution agreement, with Paramount taking a fee rather than financing the film, represents a notable shift for the project. Warnerโค Bros.โ severed tiesโข with Ratner in 2017 following allegations ofโค sexual misconduct, โคeffectively halting his involvement โฃin the โindustry. “Rush Hour 4″โ would reunite stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, reprising thier roles fromโข the 1998, 2001,โค and 2007โฃ installments.
The revival gained momentumโฃ after โขSemaforโค reported Sunday that Trump urged โฃParamount to take on the film. This occurred shortly after Paramountโ completedโ its $8 billion merger with โskydance, a deal requiring approval from theโ Trump administration. Trump โขhas publicly praised Paramount’s new chairperson and CEO, David โEllison, son of โLarry โขEllison,โ a prominent Trumpโ supporter and Oracle executive chairperson.
Ratner had โbeenโฃ independently โshopping the project afterโ Warner Bros. โdeclined to participate.โ He has managed to complete oneโฃ filmโ since the 2017 allegations: โขaโค documentary on former First Lady Melania Trump,acquired by Amazon MGM Studios forโฃ a reported โ$40 million and scheduled for theatricalโ release โขon January 30.
In 2017, six women accused Ratner of sexual โharassment in a Los Angeles Times โฃreport. Ratner denied the allegations. Theโค white โขHouse has not yet commented on the reported request regarding “Rush Hour โ4.”