Donald Trump Is Pushing for Rush Hour 4 With Jackie Chan — Will It Happen?

Here is where we are with a potential Rush Hour 4: there is legit interest, there are real obstacles, and somehow, Donald Trump is now part of the conversation. Yes, that sentence is doing a lot.

So why is Trump in this?

Per Semafor, Trump is encouraging Paramount to bring back the Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker buddy-cop franchise if Paramount ends up buying Warner Bros. Discovery. That is a big if, but it explains why Rush Hour is suddenly being name-checked in deal chatter.

Who actually owns Rush Hour?

Not Paramount. All three Rush Hour movies were released by New Line Cinema, which is part of Warner Bros. If Paramount won a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, they would inherit Warner Bros. library and the Rush Hour IP along with it. Until then, Paramount has no claim on the franchise.

The big snag: Bret Ratner

Rush Hour 4 has been pitched around before. The sticking point has been director Bret Ratner, who made the first three films. In October 2017, several women accused Ratner of sexual assault during the Me Too movement, and Warner Bros. cut ties with him. Since then, a Rush Hour sequel with Ratner attached has been a nonstarter. Semafor reports that Trump is supportive of Ratner, which, if the corporate dominoes fall a very specific way, could revive the prospect of a fourth movie under a new owner.

Context worth noting: Ratner directed 'Melania,' an Amazon MGM Studios documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, currently set to hit theaters on January 30, 2026.

Where things stand, in one place

• Paramount does not own Rush Hour right now; New Line and Warner Bros. do.
• Paramount is one of three companies bidding for Warner Bros. Discovery, and if they win, they would control Warner Bros. library, including Rush Hour.
• Semafor says Trump is pushing for a Rush Hour revival if Paramount wins that sale.
• Rush Hour 4 has been shopped to studios before; the largest hurdle remains Bret Ratner due to the 2017 allegations and Warner Bros. severing ties.
• Trump’s backing of Ratner could make a sequel more likely in the specific scenario where Paramount acquires Warner Bros. Discovery and decides to move forward.
• Separately, Ratner’s 'Melania' documentary is dated for January 30, 2026 via Amazon MGM Studios.

Quick refresher on the franchise

Jackie Chan plays Chief Inspector Lee, a Hong Kong cop flown to Los Angeles to find a diplomat’s kidnapped daughter. Chris Tucker is Detective James Carter, the motormouth LAPD handler stuck babysitting him. They bicker, they improvise, they somehow solve the case.

The first movie arrived in 1998 and made $245 million worldwide, which naturally led to two sequels: Rush Hour 2 in 2001 and Rush Hour 3 in 2007.

So is Rush Hour 4 actually happening?

Short answer: no green light. The project keeps circling, and the business side could shuffle the deck if Paramount buys Warner Bros. Discovery. Trump is apparently cheering for that outcome and for Ratner’s return. Until a deal closes and someone actually hires a director and locks the cast, this stays in the rumor-and-talk zone.