In 1998, the first part of the “Rush Hour” series was released on the big screens. It turned out to be a huge hit around the world and eventually had two sequels. The plot showed the cooperation of two policemen: the talkative and open James Carter (Chris Tucker) and the subdued Hong Kong inspector, Lee (Jackie Chan). Despite cultural differences and different character traits, the men joined forces to solve criminal puzzles.
The first installment earned as much as $244 million, and subsequent installments were even more successful. The second part debuted in 2001, grossing $347 million, and “Rush Hour 3”, which grossed $258 million, was seen in cinemas in 2007.
The first rumors about the series being renewed appeared in 2017. However, the creators hit a wall – no one wanted to be associated with the series directed by Brett Ratner. The man was accused by many women of abuse. For this reason, the Warner Bros. studio cut off all contacts with him, and Sony and Lionsgate refused to participate in Thursday’s installment of the series from the very beginning.
The actors themselves expressed their desire to return to iconic roles. Just recently, Jackie Chan said in one of his interviews: “Hurry up! Otherwise, Chris Tucker and I will be 100 years old. We’ll be old guys playing ‘Rush Hour’.”
Now the world has learned that Paramount will distribute the film “Rush Hour 4”. The long-awaited sequel reportedly benefited from intervention from the US president himself! It was Donald Trump who personally asked the studio to renew the series, as reported by “Semafor”. Brett Ratner will direct the production again and it will be his first feature film since 2014. He had previously become acquainted with the presidential couple when he made the documentary “Melania”, for which Amazon paid $40 million to distribute.
Paramount will receive a commission for distributing the film, but will neither market nor finance the film. Warner Bros., which was associated with the original series, will receive a percentage of the revenue before financiers recover any costs.
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