Film director Brett Ratner is heading to China as part of President Donald Trump’s official delegation for a high-profile summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
New York Post correspondent Emily Goodin confirmed that Ratner made it all the way onto Air Force One. “Brett Ratner is traveling on Air Force One. Just spoke to him. I’m on the plane as part of the traveling press pool,” Emily wrote on X.
Why is Brett Ratner going to China?
Ratner is traveling to China to scout filming locations for Rush Hour 4, as well as to meet with cast and crew for the project, his spokesperson told the New York Post. His spokesperson confirmed that this will mark the first time Ratner has filmed in China. Cameras are expected to start rolling next year.
Ratner is part of a larger delegation that includes about a dozen top US executives. Among them are Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk and outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook. This is also the first visit by a sitting US president to China since Trump’s own trip in 2017. China is the world’s second-largest economy and shares a tense relationship with the US over trade, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and national security issues, according to Newsweek.
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Rush Hour 4: What we know so far
Trump has been a strong supporter of reviving the Rush Hour franchise. He encouraged his billionaire ally Larry Ellison to bring the buddy-cop series back after Ellison’s Paramount Pictures acquired rights-holder Warner Bros. Discovery. That purchase was confirmed in February. Additionally, Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle also holds a significant stake in Paramount and his son David serves as its CEO.
The last Rush Hour 3 was released in 2007, so fans have been waiting a long time for another movie in the series. According to reports, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are both expected to return in their famous roles as Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter.
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Ratner, who has also directed X-Men: The Last Stand, Tower Heist and a live-action Hercules starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was largely shut out of Hollywood after six women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017.
He made his return to the spotlight in January, when he directed a documentary about Melania and her preparations to return as First Lady before the 2025 presidential inauguration. The film was co-produced by Ratner and Melania Trump and was bought by Amazon for $75 million.