Jackie Chan's 1 Fear About ‘Rush Hour 4’ Avoids Becoming Dangerously Close to Reality
For nearly two decades, fans have been calling for the return of Detectives Lee and Carter, and now, Rush Hour 4 is finally coming to fruition. After Deadline reported that Paramount will release the new Rush Hour sequel, a former comment from star Jackie Chan about himself and Chris Tucker began to make the rounds again—and for good reason.
The new addition to the Rush Hour franchise does not have a release date set yet, but we do know that it'll be directed by Brett Ratner, who was at the helm for the first three movies. It's rumored to likely be a 2026 release, which would make sense based on the timeline. Rush Hour 4 will become one of the upcoming additions to join a recent push to return comedy to theaters, as viewers have seen the genre largely on streaming platforms in recent years.
Jackie Chan's '100 Years Old' Warning About 'Rush Hour 4'
After confirming that Rush Hour 4 was happening back in 2022, the film got stuck in limbo and left fans awaiting any update. Chan addressed the topic in May at the Karate Kids: Legends red carpet event while speaking with ScreenRant. However, instead of having any big news to drop, Chan offered a warning of sorts about the lengthy delay time.
While openly stating he wanted to do Rush Hour 4, he was unsure of the status at the time, but joked that he and Tucker would be "100 years old" and "old men doing Rush Hour."
"I don't know. Ask the director, ask the studio, ask the writer. Hurry up! Otherwise, Chris Tucker and me [will be] 100 years old. We'll be old men doing Rush Hour," Chan said.
For what it's worth, the fact that Chan remains as excited about the craziness the Rush Hour franchise has brought at his current age of 71 is impressive. Thankfully, Chan only had to wait a few months before Rush Hour 4 got the green light, dodging the possibility of giving viewers a chance to see 100-year-old Jackie Chan bringing the film back to life.
Chris Tucker, currently 54, has a bit more time before he truly has to worry about Chan's comment. Regardless, the Rush Hour star isn't wrong about the two getting older since the multi-year delay.
Can the Stars Still Deliver? The Reality of a Delayed 'Rush Hour 4'
Now comes the multi-million dollar question surrounding Rush Hour 4. What can fans expect to see from Chan and Tucker in a follow-up film coming 18-19 years after the release of Rush Hour 3? After all, it was the high-octane energy and well-timed banter that left fans wanting more.
Chan and Tucker have seemingly been ready to roll for Rush Hour 4 for years. While the three previous films were released in less than nine years, moviegoers typically had a good idea of what to expect from Chan and Tucker, so it'll be fun to see if they can recapture the on-screen rapport.
Here's a look at the release dates and box office numbers for each of the three previous Rush Hour movies, per The Numbers.
- Rush Hour (Sept. 18, 1998): $240 million worldwide
- Rush Hour 2 (August 3, 2001): $340 million worldwide
- Rush Hour 3 (August 10, 2007): $250 million worldwide
As for the movie trio's reviews, the first Rush Hour took the crown in terms of the highest marks from critics and fans alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave the film a 62 percent mark, while fans checked in with a strong 79 percent score.
All three Rush Hour movies landed solid scores from fans; however, many critics offered tough love for Rush Hour 3, as it holds a poor 17 percent score.
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