“Rush Hour 4,” with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, is being pitched to multiple studios at the moment. There’s only one problem …
Brett Ratner has been part of the pitch as the project’s potential director and producer, despite having not worked in Hollywood for the past seven years. In 2017, during the height of #MeToo, Ratner faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment.
Ratner was immediately dropped by his agency and has been deemed persona non grata in the industry. He has strongly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, and no charges were ever brought against him.
THR is reporting that Ratner’s involvement has been “a nonstarter for several studios,” including Paramount and Sony, which were offered the package.
It’s not like Ratner hasn’t attempted a comeback since the allegations surfaced more than seven years ago. In 2021, he was set to helm a longtime passion project of his, a biopic tackling disgraced R&B duo Milli Vanilli. However, major backlash, including a vehement condemnation from Time’s Up, forced him to drop out.
“Rush Hour” was an immensely successful buddy cop trilogy that pitted martial arts icon Jackie Chan with fast-talking comedian Chris Tucker. Combined, the films grossed over $850M worldwide, and were hugely popular in China, a market that Hollywood can’t always seem to crack.
For years, Chan and Tucker have both claimed that “Rush Hour 4” was in development, leaving viewers curious about when the movie will arrive. Most recently, Tucker claimed that the sequel would be one of his upcoming projects.
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