Trump pressuring studio Paramount Global to revive ‘Rush Hour’ franchise, claims report
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has urged studio Paramount Global to revive popular action comedy franchise film ‘Rush Hour’ starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
The update underscores that the film is gaining attention for further Hollywood possibility, but for political ones, as the producer is a close associate of the president.
Trump urges Larry Ellison to revive 'Rush Hour' franchise
Citing “a person directly familiar with the conversations,” Semafor reported that Trump “personally pressed” Larry Ellison to make a new film in the series.
Ellison is reportedly in control of Paramount Global after his son, David Ellison, completed a merger between Skydance and Paramount earlier this year.
Ellison, the world’s third-richest man, has also donated heavily to the president’s campaigns.
The company previously agreed to several concessions favourable to Trump to secure merger approval and may need that again amid a reported bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
White House officials reportedly spoke with Ellison about firing certain anchors at CNN whom Trump doesn’t like, which is part of the Warner portfolio.
CNN staff now worry that if their company is sold to Paramount, Trump’s friend Ellison may fire two of the network’s most prominent women, Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar.
Warner also owns New Line Cinema, the studio behind the 'Rush Hour' films released in 1998, 2001, and 2007.
Brett Ratner's past controversies and Melania Trump documentary
Brett Ratner directed all three films of the franchise and has since faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. After the allegations started surfacing in 2017, Warner Bros cut ties with Ratner.
Ratner has since made a documentary about Melania Trump, who was also the executive producer. Amazon reportedly paid $40 million for the rights to the movie.
According to a New York Post report earlier this year, the first lady will get at least $28 million out of that deal.
'Rush Hour's big start, weak finish
The 'Rush Hour' franchise is a series of American buddy cop action comedy films created by Ross LaManna and directed by Ratner, with both Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in lead roles.
All three films center around a pair of police detectives, Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) Chief Inspector Lee, played by Chan, and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective James Carter, played by Tucker, who go on their series of misadventures involving corrupt crime figures in Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
The films incorporate elements of martial arts and humor.
The first 'Rush Hour' was released in 1998 and grossed $245.3 million worldwide. It was followed by 'Rush Hour 2' in 2001 and 'Rush Hour 3' in 2007.
The first film was a major success, but the third installment had clearly lost momentum. Although it performed decently at the box office, it failed to impress the audience.
