Rush Hour 4 set to begin 'within weeks' after President Trump 'pressed' Paramount head

Rush Hour 4 is reportedly set to begin pre-production 'within weeks' with original stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker back on board - less than three months after receiving a green light and nearly 20 years after the third film premiered.

Tucker was 26 and Chan 43 when filming on the original Rush Hour began in 1997. Now, at 54 and 71, returning to the high-energy stunts will surely be no small feat, but the duo have plenty of experience to rely on. 

The Atlanta-born comedian and the Hong Kong legend will have several months to train as a source told TMZ on Thursday that shooting won't begin 'until the fall.'

Chan holds the Guinness World Record for most stunts performed by a living actor (100) but has amassed injuries including a dislocated pelvis, fractured skull, as well as broken fingers, toes, nose, both cheekbones, hips, sternum, neck, ankle and ribs.

And they're not alone as the buddy cop franchise's director Brett Ratner has also signed on to co-produce and helm the fourth installment rumored to be set in Moscow.

It will mark the 56-year-old filmmaker's official return to Hollywood after Warner Bros. severed all ties with him in 2017 due to several actresses - including Olivia Munn, Natasha Henstridge and Elliot Page - alleging sexual misconduct, which he denied. 

After a decade hiatus, Ratner's newly released Amazon documentary Melania about the First Lady earned $7 million at the box office in its opening weekend, making it the most successful documentary (outside of concert films) in 14 years. 

Meanwhile President Donald Trump - whose favorite film is Bloodsport from 1998 - 'personally pressed' Paramount Pictures owner Larry Ellison to revive Rush Hour, a source claimed to Semafor last November.

Paramount+ is the streamer most likely to broadcast the twice-impeached politician's UFC White House special in honor of his 80th birthday on June 14, which will feature a custom-built stadium on the lawn near the Ellipse.

Meanwhile, Rush Hour producer Arthur Sarkissian happened to be behind Christopher Martini's 2024 fawning documentary on Trump, called The Man You Don't Know.

When the Democrat-turned-Republican was first elected in 2016, Chan told Yahoo Celebrity that Americans should 'just give him a chance' and backed his acumen as a 'businessman who knows how to handle these types of things.'

Tucker similarly told Good Morning Britain in 2018 that he just wanted Trump 'to be successful' and 'do the right thing.'

Creator Ross LaManna's first three Rush Hour films (1998-2007) - centering on Hong Kong Police Force Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) and LAPD Detective James Carter (Tucker) - amassed $850.8 million at the global box office despite increasingly bad reviews.

Bill Lawrence and Blake McCormick created a TV spin-off series starring Justin Hires and Jon Foo in 2016, but CBS canceled it after only one season.

The Fifth Element alum - who headlined the controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival last year - is next scheduled to perform stand-up comedy live this Friday at The Dome by Rutter Mills in Virginia Beach, VA.

Meanwhile, the honorary Oscar winner shows no sign of slowing down, having starred in Unexpected Family, The Shadow's Edge and Karate Kid: Legends last year.