Film director Brett Ratner is set to travel to China with President Trump as part of the U.S. delegation during the upcoming summit with Xi Jinping.
According to a spokesperson, Ratner, who directed a documentary about Melania Trump, will be scouting locations for “Rush Hour 4” and meeting with the cast and crew.
President Trump has shown strong support for bringing back the “Rush Hour” franchise, urging billionaire Larry Ellison to revive the series after his company, Paramount Pictures, acquired Warner Bros. Discovery, which previously held the rights.
In addition to Ratner, the delegation includes several high-profile CEOs, such as Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, and Tim Cook, the outgoing president of Apple.
This upcoming “Rush Hour” film will mark Ratner’s first time shooting in China, with filming expected to commence next year.
The last movie in the franchise was released in 2007, featuring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reprising their roles as Chief Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter, respectively.
Paramount will be producing the new film following the confirmation of its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery back in February.
Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, holds a significant stake in Paramount, and his son, David, is the company’s CEO.
Ratner has directed other notable films such as “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “The Tower Heist,” and a live-action adaptation of “Hercules,” featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, before facing a significant fallout in Hollywood. In 2017, allegations of sexual misconduct were leveled against him by six women.
Additionally, Ratner returned in January to document Melania Trump’s preparation for her second term as First Lady leading up to Inauguration Day in 2025.
The film that he co-produced with Melania Trump was acquired by Amazon for $75 million.
It made approximately $7 million during its opening weekend, marking the most successful debut for a documentary in the last decade, and it is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime.
