Ratner is said to be scouting locations for “Rush Hour 4” after the president reportedly expressed interest.
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Brett Ratner, the director behind a 2026 documentary on first lady Melania Trump and the “Rush Hour” movie franchise, is traveling to China alongside President Donald Trump.
During the trip, Ratner will scout filming locations for “Rush Hour 4,” the next film in the buddy cop comedy franchise that Trump has said should be revived, according to Ratner’s spokeswoman, Victoria Palmer-Moore.
Trump has reportedly asked about the revival of the “Rush Hour” franchise, whose installments Ratner directed between 1998 and 2007. The movies star Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as police detectives investigating crimes in Hong Kong, Paris and Los Angeles. Palmer-Moore said Ratner plans on shooting “a lot” of “Rush Hour 4″ in China.
While the first movie was an instant hit, critics were less friendly to the two sequels. While a “Rush Hour 4″ sequel has been discussed by Ratner and the film’s stars, its development had stalled — until Trump got involved. In November, Semafor reported that the president encouraged billionaire Larry Ellison, a force behind Paramount Skydance, to bring back the franchise once Paramount buys Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns the franchise rights.
In January, Ratner released “Melania,” the Amazon-backed documentary about the first lady during the 20 days before her husband’s second inauguration. The documentary was widely panned, drawing $16.7 million against a production budget of $40 million. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
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The documentary served as a comeback for Ratner, who at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017 was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by multiple women. Ratner has disputed the allegations. “Melania” was the director’s first major project since the allegations were made public.
Trump is visiting China this week, leaving Tuesday to meet with President Xi Jinping. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ratner’s participation in the trip. The White House press pool reported that Ratner was seen aboard Air Force One alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Eric and Lara Trump.
The president is also traveling with a large contingent of business leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Meta President Dina Powell McCormick and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, according to a list released by the White House.
The director’s participation in Trump’s trip was first reported by the South China Morning Post.
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