Perhaps it's our love for nostalgia or just Hollywood's current obsession with recognizable brands, but either way, many long dormant buddy cop franchises are revving up for possible comebacks. First it was Lethal Weapon, then it was 48 Hrs., then Bad Boys and now Rush Hour may be headed back to the big screen. The potential returns of old franchises can often be taken with a grain of salt, as they frequently never come to fruition or languish in the imagination or development hell. But it appears that Rush Hour 4 shall be a real thing, at least according to star Chris Tucker, who had this to say:
It's happening. This is gonna be the rush of all rushes. Jackie is ready and we want to do this so that people don't ever forget it.
Well, that's certainly encouraging and it sounds like the franchise could be returning to close things out with a bang. Speaking to ESPN's The Undefeated The Plug podcast, Chris Tucker seems excited about returning to the successful and fan favorite action-comedy franchise. He also said that they are working on it now, so it's possible that Rush Hour 4 may hit theater screens sooner than we expect if the ball is already rolling. Part of what makes the actor's comments so encouraging is that we had previously heard that Chris Tucker's approval and agreement to be a part of the project was the final obstacle to Rush Hour 4 actually becoming a reality. Jackie Chan had said that they finally had a script worth making and if Chris Tucker signed on the filming could possibly start this year. The action-comedy genre misses more than it hits, so hopefully if everyone involved waited this long for a good script that bodes well for Rush Hour 4. The franchise has been commercially successful but, after the original, critical reception went downhill drastically.
The buddy cop formula is a huge crowd-pleaser when done well and people have a lot of fond memories of this franchise. As such, CBS tried to capitalize on this name value with a Rush Hour TV series a few years back. I can't attest to the quality of the show, although I have my suspicions, as it was cancelled after one season. The big difference is that part of what makes beloved buddy cop movies so memorable is the chemistry between the lead actors. Thus, without Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, the series couldn't possibly live up to fan expectations. With Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker back on board as Lee and Carter for Rush Hour 4, audiences should expect that same dynamic from the first three films, with (hopefully) some fresh ideas this time around. The buddy cop and action-comedy genres are evergreen and so long as each new entry has two compatible leads and does something fun and new, it should find an audience.
We now patiently await the inevitable news of a Tango & Cash 2. For all the latest in movie news and understanding the words that are coming out of my mouth, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
