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Rush Hour 4 in Early Discussions, But Director Brett Ratner's Role Remains Contentious
Rush Hour 4 is being pitched to studios. However, Brett Ratner’s potential involvement in the movie is acting as a roadblock.
Disclaimer: This article mentions sexual assault.
In July, according to The Hollywood Reporter Lionsgate executives held a meeting for Rush Hour 4, another instalment in the action comedy franchise. With the studio keen to build franchises off the back of its John Wick franchise and leverage audience nostalgia thanks to known IP, this is an interesting idea for the studio. The film may star long-time franchise filmmaker Brett Ratner as director and producer after a seven-year absence from Hollywood since allegations for sexual misconduct and harassment in 2017.
However, Ratner denied the allegations of sexual misconduct and was let go from his agency. He has not made a film since and denied he was contacted about Rush Hour 4, saying the query to him was riddled with "gross inaccuracies" and would not comment further.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros.-which has distributed the Rush Hour films-has allowed the licensing of the film elsewhere despite its lucrative nature. Tarak Ben Ammar, a veteran executive with recent credits like Equalizer 3, has retained the rights to make Rush Hour 4 under his Eagle Pictures banner. The former Weinsteins Co. library owner Ben Ammar is brokering on the film with would-be partners, while Arthur Sarkissian, the original producer of the Rush Hour franchise, is attached to produce with Eagle Pictures.
Ratner has been working on a fourth Rush Hour film, but the studios involved, including Paramount and Sony, have rebuffed his involvement. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan have been bandied about as stars, but neither are officially attached. Both actors have spoken of wanting to return for the next Rush Hour film, but neither are officially attached to the project.
Through the '90s and 2000s Ratner had a moderately successful career as a music video and studio filmmaker before making his big break with the first Rush Hour film back in 1998. He directed the next two movies in what has grown into a collective franchise gross of more than $500 million at the domestic box office alone.
Six women accused Ratner of sexual misconduct in a 2017 Los Angeles Times report. Actress Natasha Henstridge told the publication that Ratner had forced or*l s*x upon her, and Olivia Munn reported that Ratner masturbated in front of her while she was delivering food to his trailer.
Distribution partners for domestic and international production for Rush Hour 4 are needed. The domestic distributors will be given a readymade franchise installment while Warners would obtain a licensing fee. The library rights for other films in Rush Hour are not owned.
Another Rush Hour movie is a function of current Hollywood, where one studio's IP can be another's franchise and nostalgia is its own currency. Warners licensed the sequel to The Accountant - starring and directed by Ben Affleck - to Artists Equity for an undisclosed fee in a function of the changing times where one studio's IP can be another's franchise.
At the box office, new tentpole fare has gone flat this year. Lionsgate's videogame movie Borderlands bombed, taking in $13 million in domestic ticket sales, while Universal's action comedy The Fall Guy has been viewed as a disappointment even as it clears $92 million in North American sales.
Bad Boys 4, the latest in the Bad Boys franchise, grossed a near $400 million worldwide, with $200 million of those coming domestically. In a Hollywood landscape where box office receipts have been less than stellar, an IP-driven feature with partially underwritten risk-aka Rush Hour 4-is almost too enticing to pass up for the opportunity to capitalize off a successful franchise.
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