‘Rush Hour 4' Shooting This Summer in Saudi Arabia and China, $100M+ Budget

Rush Hour update time. It’s not that I’m necessarily excited for this legacy sequel, but more so fascinated by the inner workings.

As you may already know, Donald Trump—the antithesis of a cinephile, who has rarely shown much love for the medium, save for his off fascination with “Bloodsport” and “Citizen Kane”—pushed Paramount’s David Ellison to greenlight his friend Brett Ratner’s “Rush Hour 4.”

It’s now being reported that a deal isn’t fully done yet, but is very close to completion, with the studio agreeing to offer a domestic release in 4,000 theaters. Producer Tarak Ben Ammar, along with Ratner’s associate Bahman Naraghi, have raised about $100M from various parties and have memo’ed that a shoot this summer is likely.

Yet, there are still no deals with stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, both of whom made more than $20M for “Rush Hour 3,” but they apparently “really really want [‘Rush Hour 4’] to happen.” Once the project officially gets the green light, sources say producers aim to film in China, Africa—where the story touches on poaching—and, yes, Saudi Arabia. The choice of locations is partly tied to financing conditions.

Jackie Chan, now 71, and Chris Tucker, whose last leading movie role was “Rush Hour 3” in 2007, will be directed by Ratner, a man shunned by Hollywood whose feature film career was proclaimed dead a decade ago due to #MeToo allegations. He recently attempted a comeback, filming a $40M documentary about Melania Trump for Amazon/MGM, and is now in the President’s good graces—but he’s also had a history with Trump, having shot 2011’s “Tower Heist” inside Trump Tower.

In fact, Ratner hasn’t directed a feature since 2014’s “Hercules,” starring Dwayne Johnson, which grossed $234M worldwide. His filmography includes the “Rush Hour” trilogy, “The Family Man,” “Tower Heist”—which was shot in Trump Tower—“X-Men: The Last Stand,” and, by far, his best film, “Red Dragon,” which remains an anomaly in his career.

Whether there’s real demand for “Rush Hour 4” is debatable, but audiences clearly still crave nostalgia, IP, and legacy sequels. The original film remains widely quoted, and I have little doubt a fourth entry would succeed—so long as the budget stays in check. On a more positive note, the fact that this one is filming in China suggests the country’s censorship board would, in all likelihood, allow the film to screen on the mainland. Given that Chan is an absolute legend there, it could translate to strong box office and potentially turn this entire project into a worthwhile endeavor.