Chris Tucker: A Comeback On The Big Screen
Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan both wanted to make Rush Hour 4 but it doesn't appear the movie is happening.
Talk about dropping off the face of the earth, Chris Tucker, where are you? At one time he was one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood working with Jackie Chan and Bruce Willis in huge productions.
Since then, Chris Tucker had virtually disappeared from the screen. Would we ever see him again? Well, in 2023 he came out of relative Hollywood hiding and had a part in a bigger movie.
CHRIS TUCKER IS IN AIR
When it comes to a story about how the biggest shoe brand became, well, the biggest shoe brand, Air did it right with all of the basketball beats.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon starred as Phil Knight and Sonny Vaccaro, the two Nike dudes responsible for getting Michael Jordan on board and launching an international brand like we really haven’t seen before.
Chris Tucker was along for the ride as well, playing Howard White, the vice president of Nike’s Jordan Brand and a guy MJ specifically wanted in the movie. Tucker crushed the role of course and the movie was a hit with fans and critics alike.
CHRIS TUCKER STARS IN FRIDAY AND THE FIFTH ELEMENT
Chris Tucker’s resume is not that long nor is it that impressive. Which is funny to say because at one point he was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. He got his start as a young stand-up comedian in Atlanta but took his talents to Los Angeles to pursue a bigger career in comedy. Tucker then became a regular contributor on the Russell Simmons HBO show Def Comedy Jam.
While he was honing his comedic chops, Chris Tucker also leaned into feature films, making his feature film debut in the movie House Party 3. From there he moved on to Panther and then really began to find his own when he starred in the movie Friday. The recognition Chris Tucker received from that movie led him to bigger roles and bigger paydays.
He grabbed a scene-stealing role as the uber-flamboyant Ruby Rhod in the Bruce Willis-led science-fiction hit The Fifth Element and Chris Tucker was now on the map. He followed that up with the comedy Money Talks and a small role in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, but nothing would compare to what came next.
CHRIS TUCKER STARS WITH JACKIE CHAN IN RUSH HOUR
Rush Hour brought a financial tidal wave to Chris Tucker in 1998. The movie, which co-star action and kung fu legend Jackie Chan, was a massive hit. Their paring was comedic gold, Tucker’s timing with Chan was impeccable. So big was the first one, a second and third Rush Hour were called for.
Because the first movie was so big, Chris Tucker decided to hold out for a bigger payday. It worked because for the 2001 Rush Hour 2, Tucker received $20 million and for the 2007 Rush Hour 3, Chris Tucker put himself at the top of the food chain when he asked for and received $25 million to play Detective James Carter one more time.
Those three movies were made from 1998 through 2007. Do you know how many non-Rush Hour projects Tucker was in between that time? ZERO. Okay, he appeared in two video shorts: one for Michael Jackson and one for Mariah Carey. But that was it. He became a very selective star. Why?
CHRIS TUCKER FOUND CHRISTIANITY LATER IN HIS CAREER
Chris Tucker counts the first time he played James Carter as his favorite. He told The Georgia Straight, “It was the first Rush Hour because I had to transition into, I guess, a man,” he said.
“It was kind of like I had to create another character that would appeal to everybody. I always wanted to do a movie like Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop that captured a big audience. And it was really successful around the world. So I think that was one of my most rewarding characters.” But as things often do, they change.
It was a quarter of a century ago when Chris Tucker found his Christianity. Before this time, he had no problem getting as raunchy as needed for a role or for his stand-up.
“I never was a raunchy, raunchy comic but I didn’t think about what I was saying because I was young,” he continued to tell The Georgia Straight. But now? “Being a Christian helps me in comedy. I have to talk about other stuff. Normally, most comics talk about stuff that’s easy—maybe cussing or saying something raunchy. I have to dig deeper to find something that’s still funny and not raunchy. It’s harder. I like the challenge.”
Chris Tucker now seems to be much more introspective. “Everybody’s doing raunchy comedy,” Tucker says. “I go to comedy clubs and it’s like, ‘All right, how raunchy can you get?’ And it’s really not that funny to me. What’s funny to me is being creative and talking about stuff that I wouldn’t have thought about.”
All the above was said before Chris Tucker resumed his stand up back in 2014. But since the last Rush Hour came out in 2007, Tucker has been beyond picky with his roles. In fact, he has appeared in only two movies since that time. Both were small parts, one in Silver Linings Playbook and then the war drama Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. Two movies in 13 years. But wait!
BOTH CHRIS TUCKER AND JACKIE CHAN WANT TO MAKE RUSH HOUR 4
Can it be? Rush Hour 4 has been long talked about (uh, 13 years?) and long agreed that it was going to happen. It has been announced that the film will begin production “soon” but the official word on Rush Hour 4 is not so official. The on-again, off-again movie is…on and off again!
Both stars, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, have expressed interest and even announced they are ready to go. In fact, in one of the many instances Tucker has said yes, he posed here with Chan, each holding up four fingers.
One of the last updates on the possibility of the movie came from Chris Tucker when he said on the Winging It podcast saying, “We’re working on a few things on the script right now, so we’re trying to get into production, but we’re working on it and trying to get it going. Jackie Chan wants to do it, I want to do it, the studio wants to do it, so we’re trying to get it together.”
Unfortunately, not long after Tucker posted the Instagram photo, Jackie Chan’s management company shot down hopes in this statement. In part, the company claims:
“We have noticed that false information that Chan would act in the motion pictures Rush Hour 4 and The Karate Kid 2 is spreading through multiple social media platforms, and that certain apparently infringing parties have misappropriated the personal WeChat and email accounts of Esmond Rend, a motion picture industry professional, to release false information concerning the hiring of the crew, casting, audition and other matters in connection with the pictures Rush Hour 4 and The Karate Kid 2. With respect to the above information, on behalf of Chan, we hereby declare that any and all such information, as spread by such infringers, relating to Chan providing or about to provide acting services in the motion pictures Rush Hour 4 and The Karate Kid 2 is false.”
So now what? We hope a Rush Hour 4 is in the works, but who knows at this point. What we also hope is that the highly selective Chris Tucker finds his way back onto the big screen, in some shape or form, whether it be as James Carter or another version. His comedic talent is undeniable, something we hope he will continue to share
And it’s not like Tucker, or if all previous reports can be believed, Jackie Chan, aren’t willing to revisit their roles as James Carter and Chief Inspector Lee, because they have said on a number of occasions they were. What the hold-up consists of is truly anyone’s guess.
But as time drags on, the chances of it happening are diminishing. Chan recently turned 68 and while he continues to crank out film after film, his days of heavy action films appear to be waning.
It should go to note, though this may mean nothing, that on Tucker’s IMDB page he still slots in Rush Hour 4 as an “announced” film. Chan’s page does not have it listed. Who knows where they are heading with a possible 4th film, but rest assured, fans are still begging for one and hope to get it before Chan’s action days are complete.
CHRIS TUCKER IS STILL PERFORMING STAND-UP
While it is extremely rare to see Tucker in front of the camera, his last film being the 2016 Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, he does enjoy the occasional stand-up show. Tucker recently performed in front of a sold-out audience at the Xcite Center at the Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA. Chances are, the rest of his stand-up tour will see the same numbers.
He has always been a popular draw when performing live and that doesn’t appear to have changed. Tucker will next take his act to the Cache Creek Casino Resort in Brooks, CA before heading on to venues in Florida, North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Minnesota.
So, the big question, after all this time, remains. Will there be a Rush Hour 4? Tucker has never appeared in any hurry to make it happen, or any movie, for that matter. Fans can only hope, pray, and continue to keep pushing.
