Brett Ratner Seems To Think He’s Directing ‘Rush Hour 4,’ Producers Seem To Think Otherwise

Brett Ratner might have done better to lay low, rather than telling friends and associates he will be returning to direct an upcoming installment of the Rush Hour franchise. Official confirmation has yet to occur for what would be Rush Hour 4, but if such an event does take place, it will likely be with a new director.

While Brett Ratner directed the three previous Rush Hour movies, all of which were box office successes, his reputation in Hollywood for accusations of sexual misconduct within the film industry have made the 49-year-old filmmaker too much of a liability for Warner Bros. Ratner, who also directed the 2006 movie X-Men: The Last Stand, initially became persona non grata in the film industry after actress Ellen Page revealed that he outed her as gay to the rest of the cast and crew on the set. As such, Warner Bros. wants nothing to do with him.

According to a source for The Hollywood Reporter, Ratner has been telling anyone who will listen that directing another Rush Hour movie is his ticket to once again being an A-list filmmaker.

“Brett has been walking around town telling people he’s going to direct a Rush Hour movie because it’s his only way back in. He’s trying to make believe he’s employable.”

Producer Arthur Sarkissian has stated the recently-shamed filmmaker is not attached to direct. Sources close to the studio do, however, say Rater does still call monthly, asking about forward progress on production, and also reveal that no one at Warner Bros. seems to want to inform him that it isn’t going to happen.

This news comes in the wake of numerous accusations against Brett Ratner, as the outing of Ellen Page’s sexuality on set was only the beginning of his troubles. Sara Shahi accused Ratner of pushing himself against the actress, as well as making graphic sexual comments toward her. Other accusers of sexual harassment include Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge. Worse yet, a talent agency employee accused Brett Ratner of rape. Ratner has denied many of the accusations.

It has been difficult for audiences to keep up with each and every industry giant tarnished by the recent Me Too movement, as the number of affected names continues to climb, most recently with actor Morgan Freeman. Ratner’s attempt to force himself back into Hollywood so quickly by way of asserting himself as still attached to direct Rush Hour 4 not only seems to have failed, but probably just reminded people of his sullied name.

Perhaps it would have been wiser for him to keep a low profile and maybe be lost among the shuffle.