Trump Tells Paramount to “MAKE RUSH HOUR GREAT AGAIN!”... Trump Bump Gets Denied

If you were wondering if Trump has his priorities in order… look no further than today…

Paramount Skydance is officially reviving Rush Hour 4 after Donald Trump personally nudged Larry Ellison to Make Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker Great Again. This man really woke up one morning, looked at the nuclear codes, and said: “Nah… I gotta fix this franchise first.” Respect.

If you’re wondering how the sausage is getting made, here’s the part where it gets extra weird: Paramount is producing the movie… but Warner Bros. Discovery is distributing it… even though Paramount is literally trying to buy Warner Bros. Discovery right now. It’s like asking your situationship to help babysit your kids while you negotiate custody with their parents.

And they didn’t even settle this with a normal agreement. They cooked up a bizarre revenue-sharing Frankenstein where Paramount pockets a flat distribution fee, and Warner Bros. gets a slice of the box office before financiers recoup costs. If you’re thinking, “Why does this feel like the worst group project ever?” Welcome to the club.

(Source: USA Today)

The entire revival reportedly happened because Trump pushed it on behalf of director Brett Ratner… who Hollywood has treated like a biohazard for years after multiple women accused him of misconduct (he denies everything, was never charged, etc.). Ratner’s career was basically in witness protection until he randomly got tapped to direct a $40 million Melania Trump documentary for Amazon MGM in late 2024.

Meanwhile, Jackie Chan is 71 years old, still spry enough to roundhouse-kick a car door off its hinges, and somehow more popular in China than TikTok. Chris Tucker hasn’t headlined a major movie since 2007, but the man’s going to walk onto that set like he never left… assuming he’s not being asked awkward questions about Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs. (Allegedly, reportedly, do not sue me, Chris.)

Of course, Hollywood studios have been pitching Rush Hour 4 for years, but no one wanted to be the first to say, “Sure, let’s roll the dice on a banned director, a semi-retired action legend, and a comedian who is irrelevant. But as we all know, when Trump wants something… he’ll stop at nothing to get it.

All of this is happening while Paramount, Comcast, and Netflix are battling over who gets to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount’s bid would take the whole enchilada (WB studio, HBO Max, cable networks) and roll them under one roof. 

Comcast wants the studio and streaming stuff, and Netflix wants the film and streaming assets because they’re tired of paying licensing fees for content they don’t own. And WBD wants this whole circus wrapped by December so they can decorate a tree instead of explaining their balance sheet. But sure, let’s add Rush Hour 4 to the blender. Why not? And unfortunately for Paramount’s stock, there was no Trump bump to be found… shares actually fell 1% on the news.

At the time of publishing this article, Stocks.News holds positions in Amazon and Netflix as mentioned in the article.