Paramount Pictures is moving forward with distributing Brett Ratner’s “Rush Hour 4” after what has been reported as a personal request from President Donald Trump, reviving a film Hollywood steered clear of following past sexual misconduct allegations against the director.
Paramount on Tuesday was finalizing negotiations to distribute the movie, according to an individual familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly confirm the deal. Paramount’s involvement would be limited to collecting a distribution fee, not financing the production.
Back in 2017, during the height of the #MeToo movement, six women accused Ratner of sexual harassment in a report by the Los Angeles Times. Warner Bros., which previously held a 450 million dollar co-financing agreement with his production company, cut all ties. Ratner denied the allegations and has not produced a feature film since.
However, Semafor reported on Sunday that Trump personally urged Paramount to take on “Rush Hour 4.” Paramount recently completed an 8 billion dollar merger with Skydance, a transaction that required approval from the Trump administration. The President has publicly praised the studio’s new chairman and CEO David Ellison, son of Oracle chairman Larry Ellison, a well known Trump supporter.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions on Wednesday.
Ratner has been attempting to secure a home for “Rush Hour 4” after Warner Bros. — the studio behind the first three installments — declined to move forward with the project. The new sequel would reunite Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker for another installment of the action-comedy franchise that began in 1998, with follow ups in 2001 and 2007.
Ratner has managed to complete one other project: a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump. Earlier this year, Amazon MGM Studios acquired the film for a reported 40 million dollars. It is scheduled to premiere in theaters on January 30.