New Line Cinema
One of the most beloved buddy cop comedy franchises of the last quarter century is looking to make a comeback as reports indicate that Rush Hour 4 is being pitched to multiple studios.
A potential issue, however, is that the project is being pitched with franchise director and producer Brett Ratner, who’s been shunned from Hollywood since the Me Too movement due to multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment. Ratner moved to Israel in 2023.
Ratner, who directed all three Rush Hour films in addition to movies such as Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, Tower Heist, and Hercules, hasn’t directed a Hollywood film in a decade and hasn’t produced a movie since the bevy of sexual assault allegations — one of which was made by Olivia Munn.
“When emailed about the project and his potential of directing Rush Hour 4, Ratner replied that the query was filled with ‘gross inaccuracies’ and would not provide further comment,” says The Hollywood Reporter.
“Multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros., the longtime distributor of the Rush Hour films that were homegrown by Warners’ New Line Cinema division, years ago allowed Rush Hour 4 to be licensed elsewhere. It’s a surprising move given the films were lucrative for the studio.”
In recent years, franchise stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker have both expressed a desire to return to the franchise, which was last seen in 2007 with Rush Hour 3.
Released in 1998, Rush Hour features Jackie Chan as a Hong Kong Detective who comes to Los Angeles to assist in an investigation and is ultimately partnered with Tucker’s brash native L.A. cop. The sequel was released in 2001, followed by Rush Hour 3 in 2007.