Besides a hint from Jackie Chan, there are no official details regarding Rush Hour 4, but co-star Chris Tucker has already expressed interest in returning. In addition to his role in Ben Affleck’s upcoming film, Air, Tucker recently spoke with Audacy’s V-103 about Rush Hour 4 being one of his forthcoming projects. “You’re going to see a lot of good stuff coming, but it’s going to be on a whole other level,” Tucker said. “That’s what I like… I’m excited about that. It’s not going to be what you’ve normally seen… Rush Hour 4, that’s something I definitely will probably drop in there because I love working with Jackie, but I’ve got some new stuff that I think you’re really gonna like. I’m excited about it.”
Chan announced the official development of Rush Hour 4 at the Red Sea International Film Festival last December. “We’re talking about Rush Hour 4 right now,” Chan stated, adding he would meet with the director later that evening to discuss the script. In front of an adoring audience, the legendary martial arts star spoke about his upcoming projects and 60-year film career.
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Regarding Rush Hour and his Hollywood career, he initially thought the movie would flop, but “I got a phone call. Brett Ratner and Chris Tucker call me from New York. They’re crazy. We were $70 million in the first weekend. For me, I don’t know how to count.” In the past, there have been talks of a fourth Rush Hour movie. In 2018, Tucker announced that Rush Hour 4 would finally be a reality. He said at the time, “It’s happening. This is gonna be the rush of all rushes. Jackie is ready and we want to do this so that people don’t ever forget it.”
“Good news. Next year, Rush Hour 4, and I hope the script [is] done,” Chan said back in 2017. “And day after tomorrow we meet the director and Chris Tucker again to make sure we go the right track.” However, the sequel never got off the ground. Although Chan didn’t mention the director’s name, he may have referred to Brett Ratner, who directed the first three films. Ratner and writer Jeff Nathanson joked on the Rush Hour 3 DVD commentary that a fourth movie could come out in 2012, but that didn’t pan out.
Despite Chan’s remarks about director meetings, Ratner’s sexual assault allegations could prevent him from returning to the franchise for another installment, even though he was in charge of the original trilogy from the beginning. Warner Bros. has severed all ties with Ratner, who was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by several women. Warner Bros. owns New Line, which distributed the Rush Hour trilogy.