Movies

Rush Hour 4: When Will It Premiere?

By

David Mudd

Despite the fact that it is difficult to believe, more than two decades have gone since Hong Kong action legend Jackie Chan linked up with comedy veteran Chris Tucker for the original Rush Hour film. Perhaps even more surprising than the on-screen pairing was the film’s resounding success at the box office, with the little budgeted actioner grossing more than $244 million in worldwide ticket sales, initiating one of the most unlikely trilogies ever to take over the big screen.

The first Rush Hour film is essentially a buddy cop film in the vein of Beverly Hills Cop, but with an international twist. Tucker plays a loud-mouthed Los Angeles detective opposite Chan, who plays a tough Hong Kong investigator.

After they inadvertently find themselves working on the same case, the duo makes light of the situation by playing up the cultural differences. Rush Hour, which premiered in theatres in 1998 and was fueled by Chan and Tucker’s contagious chemistry — as well as a slew of appropriately Chan-centric set pieces — proved to be an unqualified success. The same may be said for the two sequels that followed, 2001’s Rush Hour 2 and 2007’s Rush Hour 3.

Rush Hour 4

To date, the films have grossed about $1 billion at the international box office, according to estimates.

It’s easy to see why, even though it’s been more than two decades since Chan and Tucker first exchanged one-liners on the big screen, studio executives might be keen to bring them back together for more witty shenanigans.

While a fourth instalment in the Rush Hour franchise has appeared to be on the horizon for some time (both Tucker and Chan suggested the potential of a fourth instalment as recently as 2019), Rush Hour 4 has yet to be released.

It still appears to be a matter of when rather than if Lee and Carter would reconnect on the big screen, but because the project is still in the early stages, specifics are limited. Here’s all we know about Rush Hour 4 up to this point.

Rush Hour 4 Premiere Date

It should be noted, however, that Rush Hour 4’s “unknown” classification on IMDb may indicate that there is currently no actual development of the film to speak of.

Rush Hour 4 appeared to be heading in the right path in 2017, when Chan said that he had given the film’s screenplay his approval and was merely waiting for Tucker to do the same. However, Tucker has yet to offer his approval (via Digital Spy). In fact, after Tucker joined the team in early 2018, there were plans to put the project in front of the cameras later that year.

As far as we know, this never happened. It had been about a year since fans had heard any new information about the project, which arrived in the form of Tucker’s interview on the Winging It podcast “Right now, we’re working on a few minor details for the script. We’re working hard to put it together because Jackie Chan wants to do it, I want to do it, and the studio wants to do it as well.”

After a few weeks, Tucker proceeded to set the internet on fire by seemingly announcing that Rush Hour 4 was in the works via an Instagram photo that had him and Chan each holding up four fingers. Chan’s public relations staff promptly tempered expectations by saying that the actor had not yet consented to feature in the film, resulting in everyone involved being forced to start again from the beginning..

So, when will Rush Hour 4 be released on DVD and Blu-ray? To be honest, your estimate is just as good as ours. However, given the current status of film development, we would anticipate that the film’s release will be delayed rather than expedited.

Who is Going to Reunite for Rush Hour 4?

Rush Hour 4

With the status of Rush Hour 4’s production and release date still up in the air, it appears that fans will also have to wonder whether or not the show’s stars will reprise their roles for the reportedly in-development sequel. In the current state of affairs, Tucker’s most recent update on the picture came in late 2019 when the actor told ABC News, “My co-star Jackie Chan and I have discussed doing something new and different, so we’ll see how things turn out. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get something started very soon.”

As you can see, that’s a pretty loaded statement, as it implies that Tucker and Chan might work together again on the big screen for something other than Rush Hour. With his subsequent statement, the actor further muddied the waters around Rush Hour 4 “We would like to take action. Many diverse projects are being considered by the team. We’ll have to wait and see which one comes together first.”

As a result, it appears that Chan and Tucker are anxious to reunite for another project, even if Rush Hour 4 isn’t the film that brings them back together. It goes without saying that if Chan and Tucker decide not to participate in Rush Hour 4, the film will not be made. It also appears to be positively ludicrous to consider recasting the franchise if both performers opt to abstain — even though it has technically already occurred with other actors portraying Carter and Lee in the short-lived 2016 CBS sitcom that the Rush Hour franchise inspired.

It doesn’t really matter what else has been announced about the Rush Hour 4 cast until Carter and Lee have officially joined the production.

Finally, does anyone know if Justin Hires and Jonathan Patrick Foo are available for a possible franchise reboot at this point in time?

Rush Hour 4 Plot

Rush Hour 4

While the future of Rush Hour stars Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan is still up in the air, we can say with certainty that franchise director Brett Ratner will not be returning. According to Ratner, he has gone off the Hollywood radar since multiple actors came forward with disturbing charges of serious sexual assault, which Ratner continues to deny (via Digital Spy).

A known face on the Rush Hour 4 creative team is likely to be sought for, as the director’s position is expected to be vacant. This means that Rush Hour 2 and 3 writer To write the fourth chapter, we welcome Jeff Nathanson back to the fray. Nathanson appears to be the only Hollywood author currently working on Rush Hour 4, as of this writing. As a result, specifics about the film’s plot are hard to come by. One may reasonably infer that there is at least some sort of plot, considering both Tucker and Chan have admitted to having seen a script in the recent past. The plot of the film has obviously been planned out by someone. The problem is that it is not our fault.

Because Lee and Carter have appeared in each of the previous Rush Hour films as a supporting cast, we can’t rely on them to speculate about the future one. Then, in Rush Hour 4, we expect that Lee and Carter will be working on a new case together, hopefully busting a large international crime ring. All the while hurling one-liners and smiling ridiculously for the camera.

For the most part, the rest of the storey doesn’t matter as long as Chan and Tucker are involved.

Rush Hour 4 Trailer

There is no official trailer but you can enjoy fan made trailer which is mentioned below-