Do you understand the words coming out of his mouth? President Trump is reportedly pushing his billionaire ally Larry Ellison to revive the “Rush Hour” franchise starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker assuming the Ellison family succeeds in the bidding war for the movie series’ license holder Warner Bros. Discovery. The president has personally pressed Ellison to bring back his favorite buddy-cop flick, along with other boisterous comedies and action movies of the 1980s and ’90s, a person familiar with the talks told Semafor. The move comes as Trump has smiled on Paramount Skydance’s bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in a megadeal, as The Post first reported. Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle, has a big stake in Paramount and his son David Ellison is its CEO. “Rush Hour” one through three mixes physical comedy with martial arts skills and includes a number of jokes about racial stereotypes. The franchise’s director Brett Ratner who also helmed hits like “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “The Revenant” was shunned from Hollywood after six women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017. But he has since clawed his way back into the film industry, spending months earlier this year shadowing First Lady Melania Trump for a $40 million Amazon documentary about her life. “Rush Hour” producer Arthur Sarkissian now runs the production company behind “The Man You Don’t Know,” a glowing documentary about Trump featuring interviews with some of his children and his granddaughter, Kai Trump. The movie premiered at Mar-a-Lago, Fla., during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. The White House and Paramount did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment. Trump’s “Rush Hour” campaign is just his latest attempt to revive 1980s and 1990s pop culture, Semafor noted. The president a fan of sports-action films like 1988’s “Bloodsport,” which starred Jean Claude Van Damme has invited macho stars like actor Sylvester Stallone and boxer Mike Tyson to the White House. He is even planning to host a UFC fight on the White House lawn, with Paramount as the broadcaster, according to Variety. Dallas Sonnier, a film producer, told Semafor that Trump might usher in “a wave of classically male-driven movies with mentally tough, traditional, courageous, confident heroes. Maybe even a tad cocky, but dedicated to honor and duty.” “Plus, of course, a few explosions, gun battles, helicopters, fistfights and car chases!” The first installment of “Rush Hour,” released in 1998, was a smash hit. But enthusiasm seemed to burn out by the third, dismally-reviewed installment in 2007, Semafor noted. In 2017, Warner Bros. Discovery cut ties with Ratner after accusations of sexual misconduct against him came to light. The company allowed the franchise to be licensed to other studios, but none so far have opted to do so. One factor that might endear “Rush Hour” to the commander-in-chief is that, unlike many Trump-hating Hollywood stars, neither Chan nor Tucker have spoken out against Trump, according to Semafor. After Trump’s first election win in 2016, Chan urged Americans to “give him a chance to try to change America and change the world. He’s a businessman . I think he knows how to handle these types of things. During an interview with Piers Morgan in 2018, Tucker stayed mostly mute on the subject, though he said he “hopes [Trump] does good.” “I want him to be successful, I want him to do the right thing,” the actor said.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/24/media/trump-pushes-larry-ellison-to-revive-rush-hour-series-as-president-smiles-on-paramount-bid-for-wbd/
