Will There Be a Rush Hour 4? Possibilities Explored After Recent Update

Starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, the Rush Hour franchise has to date resulted in three highly entertaining movies. The two comedy legends that are Chan and Tucker play the roles of Chief Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter, an unlikely duo forced to come together to solve a range of crimes.

The first movie, which was released back in 1998, was followed by sequels in 2001 and 2006, and fans have since constantly wondered about a potential 4th movie. There have been a range of minor developments in recent years, with Jackie Chan himself revealing in an interview that the creators have gone over a range of scripts. However, that was around 6 years ago.

Now, after years of waiting, Lionsgate executives announced Rush Hour 4 in what initially appeared to be a routine greenlight presentation. However, amongst the range of projects announced, which also included spinoffs for the John Wick franchise, Lionsgate also announced the highly-awaited Rush Hour 4.

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Will Rush Hour 4 finally be a reality?

One of the major controversies that led to the delay for Rush Hour 4 has been the controversy surrounding director Brett Ratner. The helmer of the first three movies has not worked in Hollywood since 2017, owing to a range of allegations related to sexual misconduct.

Actors such as Natasha Henstridhe and Olivia Munn had accused Ratner of a variety of misconducts, and although the director has refuted these claims, the allegations seem to have taken a toll on his career.

However, in what has proven to be a surprising move, Warner Bros. has licensed the project to other studios. This led to Tarak Ben Ammar securing the rights of Rush Hour 4 under the banner of Eagle Pictures. However, Arthur Sarkissian, who originally produced the three movies, is also a part of Rush Hour 4, which signals there will be a continuity in the narrative.

As things stand, however, Ratner is not expected to be a part of the 4th movie. That is unlikely to disappoint fans, with both Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker having talked about their desire to do a fourth movie. Six years ago, Chan had said the following in an interview with Power 106’s The Cruz Show:

“For the last seven years, we’ve been turning down the script, turning down the script. Yesterday, we just agreed… the script, probably end of this month. They’re on the second draft. Next year, probably start. I hope. If Chris Tucker agrees,”

Further, Chris Tucker had claimed the following during the Winging It podcast in 2020:

“Jackie Chan wants to do it, I want to do it, [the] studio wants to do it, so we’re trying to get it together.”

And in 2022, during the Red Sea Film Festival, Jackie said that they were “talking about part 4”, and that he was about to meet a director that evening.

Hence, both actors have been desperate for Rush Hour 4 for years, but with no recent update, it appears to be a distant reality. Of course, Rush Hour 4 will not be the only revival of a fan-favourite franchise that has happened in recent times. It will follow the likes of Bad Boys and The Fall Guy and will be hoping for a result more similar to the former.

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Not a lot of details have been revealed thus far, with further updates about the narrative and a potential release date expected to come out in the coming time. Apart from Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, a range of returning stars can be expected to reprise their roles.