December 13, 2022
SINGAPORE – Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan has confirmed that he is in talks to make a fourth Rush Hour movie.
The 68-year-old made a name for himself in Hollywood with the first three buddy action movies (1998 to 2007) with his American co-star Chris Tucker.
“We’re talking about part four right now,” he said last Thursday at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The film franchise follows a Hong Kong detective who forms an unlikely relationship with a loudmouthed cop in Los Angeles to solve a series of international crimes.
He revealed he was going to meet the film’s director that evening to discuss the script, but did not identify the director.
American film-maker Brett Ratner directed the three Rush Hour films, but has not helmed a movie since 2014.
In 2017, he was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by seven women, including American actress Olivia Munn and Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge.
Movie studio Warner Bros subsequently severed all ties with the producer-director, with whom it had a lucrative deal.
The original movie made US$244 million at the global box office and made Chan an international action star after years of trying to break into Hollywood.
“I tried so many times to go to Hollywood, but after that, I said no more Hollywood because my English is not good. They’re not my culture, they don’t like this kind of action,” he said of the time before Rush Hour.
He said he received scripts only about East Asian detectives, but had wanted to try other roles.
“My manager said, ‘Look, there’s a script and it’s called Rush Hour.’ I said, ‘No, Hong Kong police? I’m not going to do it.’ He said, ‘Jackie, why don’t you try one last time?’
“I said, ‘Okay, this is the last time.’”
He recalled that he received a call from Ratner and Tucker after the opening weekend in 1998, saying the movie was a huge success, with takings of US$70 million.
“For me, I don’t have a count of what 70 million is. I don’t know the box office. I just know it’s certainly a success,” he said. “And then they made part two and part three.”
Rush Hour 2 (2001) grossed US$347.3 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise, while Rush Hour 3 (2007) made US$258 million worldwide.