May 13th Update: Ratner is traveling to China with President Trump, scouting for movie locations.
Previously:
According to a new report, Rush Hour 4 may not be moving as fast as Brett Ratner hoped.
However, those new concerns about Middle East financing that are reportedly slowing it down may already be easing.
Puck News’ Matt Belloni reports the long-gestating sequel is now “scrambling” for a September shoot at the earliest, after plans to film this spring or summer were pushed back, thought due to concerns about the Iran War.
According to Belloni, the movie was expected to shoot in China, Africa, and Saudi Arabia, but the production is now facing questions over whether its planned $115 million to $120 million in financing is fully locked.
Chris Tucker And Jackie Chan Still Don’t Have Deals
Belloni reports that producers Arthur Sarkissian and Tarak Ben Ammar still do not have deals in place with stars Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan.
Per Puck, Tucker and Chan have both rejected their initial offers, and the producers are not currently offering pay-or-play deals, which could point to financing that has not fully come together.
Paramount would reportedly serve only as a passive distributor, while Warner Bros. has already approved the project.
Saudi And Middle East Questions Hang Over The Movie
The Rush Hour 4 delay fits with what I was told at WonderCon last month: the Iran War was causing some in Hollywood to slow down, with Saudi investors reportedly becoming more cautious while tensions were high.
Ben Ammar had reportedly raised money from the Middle East for Rush Hour 4.
Fitting with what I was told, Belloni wonders if turmoil in the region could be endangering Ratner’s big comeback after Melania, especially with the Saudi and Gulf money angle now playing such a major role across Hollywood.
At the same time, the situation appears to have calmed since then.
Gulf Money Is Still Moving In Hollywood
Since my WonderCon talk, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been confirmed as major backers of Paramount Skydance’s Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
That deal includes roughly $24 billion from funds in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.
Warner Bros. Discovery stockholders also just approved the Paramount transaction, moving the deal another step forward.
WWE Also Returning To Riyadh
Another sign that things may be moving again: TKO has officially confirmed WWE Night of Champions will return to Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, June 27, 2026.
The event was announced by the General Entertainment Authority and Riyadh Season, under Turki Alalshikh, in cooperation with WWE.
If Saudi-linked entertainment investment and major events were in a deep freeze and there were continued Iran War concerns, WWE returning to Riyadh would seem unlikely, especially with U.S. fans in attendance.
Rush Hour 4 May Still Be Fine
Our guess is Rush Hour 4 should still be fine, but the timing likely got messy.
Puck’s report of financing concerns makes sense if the Iran War caused Saudi and Middle East investors to pause or reassess deals — again, what I was told. That concern may have been real at the time.
However, as of April 8th, President Trump announced peace in Iran.
Now, with the conflict appearing to have cooled, Gulf funds backing the Paramount-WBD deal, and WWE heading back to Riyadh in June, the bigger picture looks less dire than it may have a few weeks ago.
The bigger issue for Rush Hour 4 may simply be getting the money finalized and getting Tucker and Chan signed.
