U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly pressing one of his billionaire friends to bring back a popular movie franchise.
Larry Ellison, the billionaire owner of Oracle and the parent company of Paramount Studios, has been a major supporter of Trump’s campaigns.
Sources familiar with the discussions say Trump personally urged Ellison to consider a new installment of his favorite film.
Highlights
- Donald Trump personally urged billionaire Larry Ellison to revive the popular Rush Hour movie franchise.
- Rush Hour, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, earned over $245 million worldwide since its 1998 debut.
- Paramount, controlled by Ellison's family, is preparing to acquire Warner Bros., impacting the franchise's future.
- Warner Bros. cut ties with original director, Brett Ratner, after misconduct allegations, but Ratner remains close to Trump.
Trump has reportedly asked his billionaire friend to bring back a new installment of his favorite film
Image credits: John McDonnell/Getty Images
Trump has expressed interest in reviving the Rush Hour series, a buddy-cop comedy starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
A new report in Semafor cites someone directly familiar with the conversation as saying that Trump “personally pressed” Ellison to revive the franchise.
The original Rush Hour premiered in 1998 and earned more than $245 million worldwide. Its sequels, released in 2001 and 2007, continued the action-comedy formula of martial arts and fast-paced humor between Chan and Tucker.
Despite mixed reviews, the franchise has maintained a loyal fan base over the years.
Image credits: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Paramount, managed by Ellison’s son David, is preparing to acquire the Warner Bros. production company and its movie catalog.
Warner cut ties with director Brett Ratner, who led the original films, in 2017 following allegations of sexual misconduct. While Warner had permitted other studios to license the franchise, Ratner’s involvement was reportedly a nonstarter for many, including Paramount.
However, Ratner has been in Trump’s good books. Earlier this year, the director trailed First Lady Melania Trump for an upcoming documentary on her for Amazon.
Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Arthur Sarkissian, the original Rush Hour producer, oversaw the recent Trump documentary The Man You Don’t Know, which premiered at Mar-a-Lago.
The Guardian reported last week that senior White House officials have internally discussed their preference for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros.
Earlier this year, Trump had clashed with Paramount, where the company paid him a $16 million settlement.
In July, Paramount underwent an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance, a company tied to Ellison.
Trump 'personally pressed' Larry Ellison to revive the Rush Hour franchise
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Chan, 71, has historically remained diplomatic regarding his views on Trump.
“Just 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,” he said in 2016 at the Governors Awards.
The White House and Paramount have not commented on the discussions.