Martin Lawrence, a key figure in the acclaimed Bad Boys franchise, has a history of blending action and comedy alongside Will Smith for nearly three decades. However, he recently revealed that he declined the opportunity to star with Jackie Chan in Rush Hour.
The Rush Hour franchise is a series of American action comedy films created by Ross LaManna and directed by Brett Ratner with both Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in leading roles. The films were released theatrically from 1998 to 2007, attaining commercial success, but critical reception was mixed.
Martin Lawrence revealed that he turned down Rush Hour
While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside Will Smith, Martin Lawrence revealed that he was offered the chance to play Chris Tucker’s character in the first Rush Hour film, which was released in 1998.
According to Lawrence, he and Rush Hour couldn’t come to terms financially, leading to him passing on the movie. “Jackie Chan asked me to star in Rush Hour with him, but I turned it down,” Lawrence said, adding, “Wasn’t enough money.”
Lawrence, despite Tucker’s acclaimed performances in the film series alongside Chan, has no regrets about deciding not to star in Rush Hour. When asked if he had second thoughts after rejecting Rush Hour, Lawrence said, “I was happy for Chris, that’s what it was supposed to be. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, and they brought a beautiful franchise with Rush Hour.”
Meanwhile, Lawrence is set to return to the big screen in the fourth entry of the Bad Boys series alongside Will Smith. The upcoming film, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, sees the duo reprising their roles as detectives Marcus Bennett and Mike Lowrey.
Reprising their respective roles as Detective Lieutenant Mike Lowrey and Detective Lieutenant Marcus Burnett, Smith and Lawrence try to save their careers and clear Howard’s name, with help from Mike’s estranged son, Armando Aretas (Jacob Scipio), looking to make amends after he fired the fatal shot that killed Howard.
Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the movie features a star-studded cast including Alexander Ludwig, Vanessa Hudgens, Eric Dane, and Tiffany Haddish. Ride or Die’s early reviews have been promising, with Sony hoping the film builds on Bad Boys for Life’s critical and commercial success.
Will there be another Rush Hour film?
Rush Hour is a buddy cop action film franchise, featuring Chan as Chief Inspector Lee and Tucker as Detective James Carter. The first film, directed by Chan, earned over $244 million against a $35 million budget.
The on-screen dynamic between Chan and Tucker made Rush Hour a cult classic, spawning two sequels in 2001 and 2007, and an ill-fated TV spinoff. The film’s on-screen dynamic has earned it a cult classic.
In December 2022, Chan teased that he may make a fourth movie in the Rush Hour franchise. “We’re talking about part four right now,” he said at a film festival in Saudi Arabia at the time, according to Deadline.
Chan said that he expected the film to bomb at the box office, and he had planned to quit Hollywood for good due to the lack of interesting roles he had been receiving. “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 said.
“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.”
After the first film was released, Chan said he received a call from Ratner and Tucker, who said, “Dude, we’re a huge success. We’re 70 million in the first weekend.”
“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,” he added. Chan also told the audience that 2022 marks his 60th anniversary in the film business. However, despite his long and successful career as an action star, Chan told the festival crowd that he plans on making less action stories, and more love stories in the future.
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