"In the course of his second term, Donald Trump has already pioneered countless new ways to use the office of the Presidency for aims such as personal enrichment via absurd cryptocurrency schemes, vengeance upon his perceived enemies, or simple aggrandizement via projects like his ever-more-expensive White House ballroom. But even in this cavalcade of horror and absurdity, nothing stands out as quite such a comically misplaced use of the executive branch than Trump leveraging the power of the presidency to ... make additional films in the action comedy franchise? Surely, you'd think, this can't be a serious priority of Donald John Trump, to see another martial arts action comedy in a dated series that last hit theaters some 18 years ago, in 2007. And yet: Not 48 hours after weekend headlines suggested that Trump was personally lobbying Paramount Skydance owner Larry Ellison for a long-belated Rush Hour 4, the entertainment press is already reporting that Paramount is getting the ball rolling on moving the project into production."
"Nor is this project intended to be some kind of wan remake or prequel: Rush Hour 4 would reportedly feature returning franchise stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as their buddy cop characters, Lee and Carter. Chan's involvement actually makes some sense: Despite being 71 years old, the relatively spry Chan is still an action comedy fixture, appearing in the likes of May's Karate Kid: Legends or Hong Kong actioners like 2025's The Shadow's Edge, where he's still doing plenty of fight scenes and stunts. Tucker, on the other hand, has been missing in action from Hollywood for almost as long as the gap in Rush Hour films: In the 18 years since Rush Hour 3, he's had precisely zero starring roles in a Hollywood film, although he's been in supporting roles in the likes of Air or the glorious bomb of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk."
Donald Trump has used presidential power for personal enrichment, vengeance, and aggrandizement, and now appears to be leveraging it to push a commercial film project. Reports tie Trump directly to lobbying Paramount Skydance owner Larry Ellison for a long-delayed Rush Hour 4, and Paramount is beginning preparatory production steps. The project reportedly aims to reunite Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as Lee and Carter. Jackie Chan, at 71, remains active in action-comedy roles and stunts. Chris Tucker has lacked starring film roles since Rush Hour 3, appearing only in supporting parts.
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