Few film franchises hold their audiences in a chokehold the way the Rush Hour trilogy does. Nearly 25 years after the cult classic hit screens, fans are still waiting (and hoping) for a fourth instalment — and now, Jackie Chan himself has offered a few candid thoughts that are getting fans buzzing again.
In a recent interview, the 71-year-old action legend opened up about his experience working on the Rush Hour trilogy, sharing some behind-the-scenes reflections and where things currently stand on Rush Hour 4. While promoting the upcoming Karate Kid: Legends, Chan didn’t shy away from some honest comments.
When asked to pick his favourite Rush Hour film, Chan hesitated, before giving a surprisingly revealing response: “I don’t know,” Chan said. “You know what, the first one: little money, little time. We shot it like, ‘Go, go, go, go!’ The second one: a lot of money, a lot of time. The third one: too much money, too much time. Too much money is no good.”
It’s a simple yet insightful comment that says a lot about Chan’s perspective on filmmaking. The charm of the original movie, it seems, may have stemmed from the urgency and scrappiness of a smaller production. That unpolished energy arguably helped make Rush Hour the classic it became.
As for the much-anticipated Rush Hour 4, Chan didn’t reveal too much, but what he did say hit home. “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.”
It’s a sentiment that’s both funny and a little urgent. While fans have long clamoured for a sequel, time is, quite literally, running out. Back in 2022, Chan had confirmed that Rush Hour 4 was in the works, and Tucker himself echoed the excitement, saying: “You’re going to see a lot of good stuff coming, but it’s going to be on a whole other level,” Tucker teased at the time. “That’s what I like… I’m excited about that. It’s not going to be what you’ve normally seen…Rush Hour 4, that’s something I definitely will probably drop in there because I love working with Jackie.”
Directed by Brett Ratner, the original Rush Hour films paired Chan’s stoic but skilled Hong Kong Detective Inspector Lee with Tucker’s fast-talking LAPD Detective James Carter. The buddy-cop formula struck gold, both critically and commercially. But Ratner’s exit from Hollywood amid controversy has been one of the biggest obstacles to getting Rush Hour 4 off the ground.
Still, Jackie’s recent remarks show he’s open — and maybe even eager — to make it happen. Speaking on the Karate Kid: Legends red carpet, he reiterated his interest in reuniting with Tucker, a promising sign for fans still holding out hope. While there’s still no official confirmation or timeline for Rush Hour 4, Jackie Chan’s comments make one thing clear: the spirit of the franchise lives on in its stars.
