Donald Trump got his wish—again.
Puck’s Matt Belloni reports that the president has successfully convinced his MAGA pal David Ellison, the Skydance CEO who just gobbled up Paramount, to reboot the Rush Hour franchise.
Trump reportedly leaned on his billionaire buddy this week to get the Hollywood studio to bring back his favorite movie franchises, which also include Home Alone, as Trump had a brief walk-on role in 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Rush Hour may have been an easier sell. Belloni wrote to X on Tuesday that Trump’s Christmas wish for a Rush Hour 4 came after Trump “prodded” Ellison on behalf of the first three films’ controversial director, Brett Ratner.
Ratner’s latest project is the first lady’s documentary Melania, which Jeff Bezos reportedly paid a staggering $40 million to distribute through Amazon MGM Studios. Ratner, who has denied allegations brought forth by multiple women for sexual misconduct, is apparently a good friend of the Trumps. He was attached to Melania before it was acquired, Puck reported, though it’s unknown how he became involved. That project will premiere on Prime in January.
Ratner apparently knew exactly what project he wanted to tackle next, and Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount couldn’t have been better timed for the director. According to Puck, he’s been shopping the fourth installment for years—with the films’ original home, Warner Bros., uninterested in continuing the story.
“Basically every” streamer and studio passed on the project, the site reports. The last Rush Hour film was released in 2007.
Both Tucker and Chan are reportedly set to return for the fourth film. The Daily Beast has reached out to both actors for comment.
*It was in fact a cameo.
