One of the more strange elements of Paramount's looming acquisition of Warner Bros. is the reported interest by President Trump, who is said to have offered his support and approval of the deal in exchange for input on the types of movies the newly created studio would make.
Trump reportedly wants to see more movies made that are similar to films of decades past, specifically the"raucous comedies and action movies from the '80s and '90s.
He's also a big fan of the Rush Hour franchise and wants to see Rush Hour 4 get made. And shortly after these reports emerged in November 2025, Rush Hour 4 was officially greenlit.
Brett Ratner is returning to direct, after previously directing the documentary Melania for Amazon MGM. He's working closely with Trump and Paramount for a broader Hollywood return following a series of harassment and sexual misconduct claims that effectively resulted in him being blacklisted.
The latest report from Puck, states that despite the production aiming to start filming this summer, it still doesn't have Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan under contract and all sides appear to be very far apart regarding compensation terms.
Puck News reports that the planned summer shoot across China, Africa, and Saudi Arabia has been delayed, with production now expected to begin no earlier than September.
Furthermore, much of the film's planned $115–120 million budget comes from Middle Eastern investors, and instability in the region centered around the Iran conflict has raised questions about whether that financing will hold.
Another important detail worth flagging is that in addition to Chan and Tucker not being under contract yet, no confirmed writer has been publicly announced for Rush Hour 4.
Chan has previously stated that he won't make Rush Hour 4 without a quality script.
In summary, Rush Hour 4 can at best, be said to be in a limbo state as :
- Paramount-Skydance and Warner Bros. must still pass federal government antitrust scrutiny
- Tucker and Chan have rejected their salary offer of $8M after previously making $20M for Rush Hour 3
- financing for the project is tied to Middle Eastern financiers who may not be liquid due to the Iran conflict
- there's reportedly no attached or announced screenwriter for the film
Given these developments, Rush Hour 4 has a number of hurdles to overcome before fans of the franchis should actually get their hopes up.