Brett Ratner, known for Rush Hour and the Melania documentary, is accompanying Donald Trump on a China summit trip.
A familiar Hollywood face is riding alongside a major diplomatic mission: Brett Ratner, the director behind the Rush Hour franchise and a documentary about Melania Trump, has joined Donald Trump as the US president heads to China for high-stakes talks with Xi Jinping.
Ratner. who directed the film featuring detectives James Carter and Yan Naing Lee as they cross cultural lines while investigating crimes across Hong Kong. Paris and Los Angeles. is among the figures reportedly traveling on Air Force One with Trump.. The trip comes as the president is set to meet Chinese leadership over a range of pressing economic and geopolitical issues. including Iran and Taiwan.
On board, Trump was accompanied by executives and chief leaders from major American tech and finance firms. Those included Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla’s Elon Musk, and BlackRock’s Larry Fink, reflecting how the president’s outreach blends diplomacy with corporate influence.
Ratner’s presence is not random to the movies world, either. Trump’s spokesperson, Victoria Palmer-Moore, said Ratner would use the trip to scout for filming locations for the latest instalment of the Rush Hour franchise. She added that Ratner intends to shoot “a lot” of Rush Hour 4 in China.
That plan lands against a larger question swirling around the franchise’s business future.. The report stated that last November Trump encouraged billionaire Larry Ellison—described as the primary financial force behind Paramount Skydance—to bring back the Rush Hour franchise after Paramount’s controversial purchase of Warner Bros.. However, the same coverage noted that the deal has not yet been confirmed.
The film industry’s reaction to Paramount’s broader corporate moves has been intense.. Hundreds of actors and directors have called for regulators to block the acquisition. warning about potential job cuts and a movie slate that could be drastically reduced.. In that climate. Ratner’s new push for Rush Hour 4 in China also highlights how entertainment plans can become intertwined with corporate and regulatory uncertainty.
Ratner’s Hollywood comeback is another thread running through the moment.. The report stated that Trump’s backing helped Ratner return to the industry after he had been sidelined following allegations of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement in 2017.. Ratner denies all of the allegations. and his latest projects mark a visible effort to reassert his footing in mainstream filmmaking.
His recent directorial work includes the documentary Melania, backed by Amazon and released in 2026.. The film followed the first lady during the 20 days before Trump’s second inauguration.. It was described as both a critical and commercial flop. with box office receipts of $16.7m against a production budget of $40m. and it was also the first movie Ratner directed in more than a decade.
Long before that, the Rush Hour series delivered major box office momentum.. The original Rush Hour debuted in 1998, reaching the top of US box office charts at release.. Rush Hour 2 followed in 2001 with similarly strong commercial results. while the franchise’s third entry. Rush Hour 3. arrived in 2007 and was described as both critically and commercially disappointing.
Even with that uneven later history, the idea of a fourth Rush Hour film has lingered for nearly two decades. The report noted that Chan suggested in 2017 that he and Tucker had agreed upon a new script. Yet development reportedly stalled until Trump intervened in late 2025.
For Ratner. the current China trip could act as a practical bridge between long-running fan expectations and the logistical realities of filmmaking.. Location scouting matters because it can determine not just what looks authentic on screen. but also how production schedules and budgets play out—especially when a franchise is trying to regain momentum after years of uncertainty.
Meanwhile. the diplomatic timetable—talks with Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday—underscores why the spotlight is on who travels with the president.. By bringing together senior executives and a high-profile entertainment director. the trip illustrates how modern political visits often function as both negotiations between governments and showcases of influence across sectors.
The broader implication is that Ratner’s China scouting plans may move forward during a period when the franchise’s ownership and corporate direction remain under pressure.. With calls for regulatory intervention tied to Paramount’s attempt to reshape its business through the Warner Bros purchase. the fate of studio strategy could affect what finally reaches theaters. even as production ambitions begin to take shape.
Brett Ratner Rush Hour 4 Trump China trip Xi Jinping Air Force One Melania documentary Paramount Warner Bros