RUSH HOUR 4: The New Action Sequel Circulates Potential Partners With One Seemingly Apparent Condition

The future of a fourth installment of the Rush Hour franchise remains somewhat uncertain, at least for now, according to a new article by The Hollywood Reporter’s Mia Galuppo and Borys Kit.

Lionsgate held a routine greenlight meeting with its execs, wherein a pitch was made for Rush Hour 4 that would potentially add franchise helmer Brett Ratner to the movie. Furthermore, Eagle Pictures’ Tarak Ben Ammar, whose credits partly include Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, American Skin, and The Equalizer 3, has been busy liaising with potential partners on the film.

As the report notes, one key issue with Rush Hour 4 and its lacking appeal to potential partners and studios like Sony and Paramount, is Ratner’s reported attachment, which would mark his return to the director’s chair since facing a Time’s Up backlash of his own in 2017.

Ratner faced a slew of allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment in 2017. While no charges were brought forward, Ratner ultimately severed ties his agency and any prospects he had with Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio that released the current Rush Hour trilogy between 1998 and 2007.

A representative for Ben Ammar’s Eagle Pictures banner reportedly denies Ratner’s current attachment. The report also says that when emailed about the project and his potential return to Hollywood, “Ratner replied that the query was filled with ‘gross inaccuracies’ and would not provide further comment.”

That news comes six years after THR also reported via its sources that Ratner himself was pitching to helm the next flick for Warner Bros., even amidst the fallout of the aforementioned allegations. Reporter Kim Masters at the time noted Warner Bros. maintained “that he will not be directing another Rush Hour should the project come to fruition…”.

Warner Bros. reportedly allowed other studios to license the fourth film years ago. Also, per Galuppo and Kit:

“…While a potential domestic distributor wouldn’t own the library rights to the other Rush Hour films, any buyer would get a ready-made franchise installment while Warners would get a licensing fee.”

Seventeen years after the box office threequel, talk of a fourth continues to stir the pot with fans with franchise stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker both expressing interest over the years. According to Galuppo and Kit, the actors’ attachment to the movie is not official according to sources close to the situation.

While in attendance at the second-annual Red Sea Film Festival in December 2022, Chan deferred to upcoming talks over an unnamed director over the script, which led to optimism over whether the film would happen or not.

Per Ben Dalton’s report via Screendaily at the time, “We’re talking about part four right now! But the script isn’t right,” Chan said. “I will see the director tonight and we will be talking about it.”

Chan’s latest appearance is in Stanley Tong’s The Myth sequel, A Legend. The actor’s upcoming releases also include Panda Plan in October, as well as Jonathan Entwistle’s new Karate Kid film with Ralph Macchio in May of next year, and a reunion with Nicholas Tse and Daniel Wu in New Police Story 2.

In my view, and as things stand according to the trade reports I’ve read, I think one conclusion we can all come to since Chan’s statements is that the director he probably wasn’t referring to was Ratner. A fourth Rush Hour film may definitely need a fresh set of hands here, particularly to stave off further scruitiny in an era of entertainment where workers in all aspects of the field will no longer tolerate behavior that makes for an unsafe environment.

Do you wanna see Rush Hour 4? Read more at The Hollywood Reporter, and feel free to comment below, or interact with me via Instagram, Threads or Blue Sky with your thoughts on these latest developments.

Lead image via New Line Cinema