President Donald Trump has reportedly been pressuring Hollywood executives to resurrect the beloved Rush Hour franchise, marking an surprising pivot from his sometimes combative stance towards China to embracing one among its largest film stars.

The president-elect has been lobbying Larry Ellison, Paramount Skydance’s largest shareholder, to greenlight a fourth installment of the buddy cop comedy sequence starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, in response to sources who spoke to Semafor.

The transfer represents an enchanting contradiction for Trump, who constructed a lot of his political model on antagonizing China by way of commerce wars and diplomatic confrontations. Ellison’s firm, which earlier this yr settled a $16 million lawsuit with Trump over a 60 Minutes interview, has reportedly been receptive to the commander-in-chief’s Hollywood ambitions.

The Rush Hour revival seems central to Trump’s broader imaginative and prescient of injecting what he calls “old-fashioned masculinity” again into American cinema.

The franchise, which generated over $850 million worldwide throughout three movies from 1998 to 2007, paired Tucker’s fast-talking LAPD detective James Carter with Chan’s Hong Kong police inspector Lee in a sequence of culture-clash comedies.

The movies grew to become cultural phenomena, mixing martial arts motion with buddy cop humor whereas showcasing each American and Chinese sensibilities.

Brett Ratner, who directed all three authentic Rush Hour movies, has been connected to the potential fourth installment as each director and producer. However, Ratner’s involvement has confirmed controversial since 2017, when a number of ladies accused him of sexual assault – allegations he denied.

His attachment to Rush Hour 4 has reportedly been “a nonstarter for several studios, including Paramount and Sony,” in response to The Hollywood Reporter. Despite these obstacles, Ratner not too long ago accomplished a $40 million documentary about Melania Trump for Amazon, suggesting his return to Hollywood could also be gaining momentum below the brand new administration.

The timing of Trump’s Rush Hour push raises eyebrows, given his traditionally contentious relationship with China. Throughout his presidency, Trump consistently portrayed China as America’s primary economic and strategic rival, imposing tariffs and other trade restrictions that strained bilateral relations.

Yet his enthusiasm for reviving a franchise starring Chan – one among China’s most recognizable cultural ambassadors – suggests a willingness to compartmentalize leisure from geopolitics.

Chan, who has been vocal in his assist for the Chinese authorities and significant of Western democracy, represents exactly the form of Chinese affect Trump has beforehand railed in opposition to.

Donald Trump has been making an attempt to get “Rush Hour 4″ made for months, with each Chan and Tucker expressing curiosity in reprising their iconic roles.

Related