Not only did the 68-year-old actor make a rare in-person appearance at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 8, but he also shared some exciting news about one of his most popular franchises: Rush Hour. The three-part movie series is set to receive its fourth installment, according to the Hong Kong-born actor’s statements on Thursday. “We’re talking about part 4 right now,” Chan told the crowd, adding that he had plans to meet the film’s director to discuss the script later this evening, as previously reported by Deadline. Chan, who starred in all three films–Rush Hour (1998), Rush Hour 2 (2001), and Rush Hour 3 (2007)–alongside comedian and actor Chris Tucker, did not identify who would be directing the upcoming movie, as disgraced filmmaker Brett Ratner directed all three previous versions but after multiple actresses, including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, accused Ratner of sexual harassment and misconduct, Warner Bros. severed ties with the filmmaker. During the festival, Chan revealed that he had initially expected the original Rush Hour to flunk and was shocked to find out it grossed $244 million worldwide. The movie, which served as Chan’s breakout role in English-language media, was also his “last chance,” so to speak. “I tried so many times to go to Hollywood, but after that, I said no more Hollywood because my English is not good, they’re not my culture, they don’t like this kind of action,” he stated. After only receiving scripts for roles about East Asian detectives in America, Chan was about to quit Hollywood when he said his talent agent approached him about the movie Rush Hour. “My manager said look, there’s a script, and it’s called Rush Hour. I said no, Hong Kong police? I’m not going to do it. He said Jackie, why don’t you try last time. I said okay, this is the last time.” Shortly after the film’s theatrical release, the directors called Chan, celebrating, “Dude, we’re a huge success. We’re 70 million in the first weekend.” Chan concluded: “For me, I don’t have a count of what 70 million is. I don’t know the box office. I just know it’s certainly a success. And then they made part 2 and part 3.” And now, a part 4!
