Rush Hour 3 is finally on the fast track.
After more than two years of idling in development hell--largely due to Chris Tucker not being in any rush to get back to work, not even for an eight-figure payday--New Line Cinema has locked up all the principals and is slated to begin production next year for a 2007 summer release.
The studio had originally hoped to begin work on the sequel in 2003, but Tucker, despite being offered $20 million, demanded script approval. In the meantime, the other key players--costar Jackie Chan, director Brett Ratner and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson--began to fill up their calendars with other gigs.
Now, per Variety, all four have signed on to make the third installment in the action-comedy franchise about two mismatched cops--one from Los Angeles (Tucker), the other from Hong Kong (Chan)--who team up to battle baddies.
As first reported in New Yorker last April, Tucker will still receive $20 million upfront, and he'll get 20 percent of the back-end gross; those terms will also extend to a future film to be determined. In exchange, the comedian has agreed to forego script approval, as long as the script closely mirrors Nathanson's pitch.
E! Online
