What an embarrassing chapter in the storied history of Paramount Pictures, and probably what we can expect from the David Ellison regime going forward. After Donald Trump openly pushed for the studio to revive the Rush Hour action-comedy franchise led by Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, Paramount has now come aboard as distributor of Rush Hour 4.
What’s funny/sad about this is that nobody has wanted to touch Rush Hour for years, despite Tucker, Chan, and even disgraced director Brett Ratner’s best efforts. Ratner has been persona non grata around Hollywood ever since he got caught up in the whole #MeToo thing. He hasn’t actually directed anything since 2014’s awful Hercules, but recently produced an Amazon/MGM Studios documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, and that’s what got the Donald pushing for Ratner to direct another Rush Hour. Now he’s back and working with Tucker and Chan again for the first time since 2007.
Even weirder, Paramount is distributing on behalf of Warner Bros. The timing is interesting because Paramount is a top bidder to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. This could be a sign of things to come.
All of that said, the Rush Hour movies were undeniably popular. The buddy cop flicks launched Ratner’s career in 1998, and turned Tucker into a massive superstar actor. The three films have combined for $850M worldwide, but it’s up in the air if there’s any real demand for more after nearly twenty years away.
The most cringe-worthy thing about this is watching Paramount roll over to make a diminished loser like Trump happy. What is Ellison planning to do once he’s out of office? Where will Ellison get any ideas from? [Deadline]
