It’s been almost 10 years since Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) and Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) last joined forces in 2007’sRush Hour 3. Throughout the years, there has been talk of anotherRush Hour sequel, but there haven’t been any substantial updates in quite some time. During an appearance at the Sun Valley Film Festival, filmmakerBrett Ratnerrevealed that he thinks this action sequel will happen. Here’s what he had to say in a brief statement at the festival, while jokingly revealing a possible title.
“I think it will happen; we’re talking to writers. We could call it Grumpy Old Rush Hour.”
While the filmmaker wouldn’t elaborate more on this sequel toEntertainment Weekly, he may be onto something in regards to the title. WhileChris Tuckerwas still a rising star when the firstRush Hourhit theaters in 1998, the actor is now 44 years of age, while the legendaryJackie Chanis 62 years old, although both have certainly shown no signs of slowing down in recent years. Still, it remains to be seen if fans would even get behind another sequel, especially considering the downwardbox office trendof the original trilogy.
The firstRush Hourmovie followed LAPD detective James Carter (Chris Tucker), who is saddled with the lousy assignment of keeping Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) away from the FBI investigation into the kidnapping of a young Chinese girl. The movie was a surprise hit, earning $141.1 million domestically and $244.3 million worldwide, from a $33 million budget. The 2001 sequelRush Hour 2was an even bigger hit, shifting the action to Hong Kong, earning $226.1 million domestically and $347.3 million worldwide from a much larger budget of $90 million. Six years later,Rush Hour 3hit theaters, bringing back bothChris TuckerandJackie Chanonce again as Carter and Lee, but it earned just $140 million domestically and $258 million worldwide, from a bloated $140 million budget.
Most recently,Brett Ratnertried to shift the franchise to the small screen, with the filmmaker executive producing theRush Hour TV serieswithBill Lawrence(Cougar Town).Justin HiresandJohn Foowere cast as Carter and Lee, with a supporting cast that includedAimee Garcia,Page Kennedy,Wendie MalickandKirk Fox. The show was picked up to series by CBS, but it was canceled back in May after just one 13-episode season. Despite the failure of the TV show, it seemsBrett Ratneris determined to makeRush Hour 4work on the big screen.
Back in 2012,Brett Ratnersaid that he wasn’t too happy withRush Hour 3, hinting that he would like to bringChris TuckerandJackie Chanback, but also introduce two new characters that the story would center on. It isn’t known if this is still the approachBrett Ratneris taking withRush Hour 4, but if it does move forward, hopefully we’ll have a better idea of whether or notChris TuckerandJackie Chanwill be back, and in what capacity. It isn’t known ifBrett Ratnerwould come back to directRush Hour 4, since he hasn’t directed a movie since 2014’sHercules, starringDwayne Johnson. He has been keeping plenty busy on the producing side, though, serving as a producer onThe Revenant,Black MassandWar Dogs, just to name a few.
