This is not a drill: Jackie Chan has revealed Rush Hour 4 is in active development.
During his recent appearance at the Red Sea Film Festival, the 68-year-old martial arts cinema icon admitted how he’d originally thought the first instalment of the beloved action comedy franchise would flop. A notion that was swiftly dispelled by the news of its early box office numbers.
“I got a phone call. [Director] Brett Ratner and [co-star] Chris Tucker call me from New York. They’re crazy. We were $70 million in the first weekend. For me, I don’t know how to count,” said Jackie Chan (via Variety). That’s when Chan spoke the magic words.
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“We’re talking about Rush Hour 4 right now.”
The crowd goes wild.
A few years prior, during an episode of ESPN’s podcast The Plug circa 2018, Chris Tucker also alluded to the prospect of this long-awaited follow-up.
“It’s happening. This is gonna be the rush of all rushes. Jackie is ready and we want to do this so that people don’t ever forget it,” Chris Tucker told fans (via The Metro).
Here’s everything we know about it so far.
Everything We Know About Rush Hour 4
Has Rush Hour 4 been confirmed?
As outlined above, Rush Hour 4 has indeed been confirmed by leading man Jackie Chan (although New Line Cinema has yet to comment). And clearly, it’s been something both he and Chris Tucker have been weighing up since Rush Hour 3.
Comedian Tom Segura even has a hilarious story about his chance encounter with Tucker on a commercial flight, wherein the latter solicited advice from the former – a perfect stranger – regarding whether this was the right career move.
“I just hear him and his very distinctive voice, he goes, ‘Should I do another Rush Hour?'” recounts Tom Segura.
“I’m like, he must be talking to [the guy behind me]. And then I just turn and he’s just looking at me. And I’m like, ‘You’re asking me, dude?’ So I go, ‘I don’t know, man.’ This is verbatim.”
“He goes, ‘I was in Beijing last week… I’m walking through the streets, I see Jackie Chan! He goes, what are you doing here? I go, to see you!’… I go, ‘Sound like the next Rush Hour to me.'”
“It’s not about money! It’s about [having] time to make. Otherwise, Rush Hour 4, we’re all old men. I tell Chris Tucker, ‘Before we get old, please do Rush Hour 4.’”
Jackie Chan
Rush Hour (1998) generated $244.4 million against a $35 million production budget, while Rush Hour 2 (2001) generated $347.3 million against $90 million, and Rush Hour 3 (2007) generated $258.1 million against $140 million.
What will the fourth Rush Hour movie be about?
The plot of Rush Hour 4 is nothing but a giant question mark at the time of this writing – although you’ll be glad to hear story has been a priority.
Back in 2017, Jackie Chan mentioned he’d been turning down several sub-par scripts for seven years, as well as the fact that he and Chris Tucker had apparently agreed to a specific idea for the fourth entry in the Rush Hour franchise.
The directorial elephant in the room…
Around the same time, Chris Tucker was hinting something was in the works, disgraced franchise director Brett Ratner had been publicly claiming he was attached to the project. But everyone else stated otherwise.
“Brett has been walking around town telling people he’s going to direct a Rush Hour movie because it’s his only way back in. He’s trying to make believe he’s employable,” a studio executive told The Hollywood Reporter.
Rush Hour producer Arthur Sarkissian later confirmed Brett Ratner was “not attached,” before very diplomatically adding: “All I’m interested in is to make the best movie possible.”
For context, in October 2017, when the Me Too movement kicked off in earnest, Ratner was accused of rape by a former talent agency employee.
The following month, six women – such as Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge – accused Ratner of sexual assault, sexual harassment, as well as following an actress into a bathroom without invitation and masturbating as another entered his trailer to deliver food.
On the same day as the allegations of said six women, Warner Bros officially severed ties with Ratner; Ratner himself announced that he was “[stepping] away from all Warner Bros.-related activities.”
In April 2018, Warner Bros decided not to renew their $450-million co-producing deal with his company RatPac.
Read more: here.
Do we know the Rush Hour 4 cast members?
Aside from the return of Jackie Chan as Detective Inspector Lee and Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter, the cast of Rush Hour 4 hasn’t been locked in.
Given the inclusion of Ambassador Han’s daughter, Soo-Yung Han, in two out of three existing trilogy flicks, perhaps there’ll be an appearance from Zhang Jingchu. Because we all know how well nostalgia plays.
Side note: we’d also love for both Don Cheadle and Jeremy Piven to reprise their scene-stealing roles as Kenny the Chinese restaurant owner and flamboyant sales assistant, respectively. Even if it’s only for a cameo.
There was once chatter about Kevin Hart getting involved. Whether anything actually becomes of this rumour is anyone’s guess.
When is the Rush Hour 4 release date?
While the project is definitely in active development, currently, there’s zero indication of the Rush Hour 4 release date (or any kind of production schedule).
Assuming they sort out a screenplay, replacement director, and casting within the next year, and principal photography begins around late 2023/early 2024, then we can expect Rush Hour 4 to hit cinemas in mid-to-late 2024 / early 2025.
Keep an eye out here for the key updates.
Is there a Rush Hour 4 trailer?
At this stage, there definitely isn’t a Rush Hour 4 trailer.
In the meantime, revisit the magic of the Rush Hour blooper reel(s) below.
