President Donald Trump is reportedly leaning on Oracle CEO Larry Ellison to produce a new entry in the “Rush Hour” film series.
Citing “a person directly familiar with the conversations,” Semafor reported that Trump “personally pressed” Ellison to make a new film in the action-comedy series, which starred Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
Larry Ellison is reportedly in control of Paramount Global after his son, David Ellison, completed a merger between Skydance and Paramount earlier this year.
The company made a number of Trump-friendly concessions ahead of the merger to win regulatory approval and may need that again amid a reported bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
White House officials reportedly spoke with Larry Ellison about firing certain anchors Trump doesn’t like at CNN, which is part of the Warner portfolio.
Warner also owns New Line Cinema, the studio behind the “Rush Hour” films released in 1998, 2001 and 2007.
All three films were directed by Brett Ratner, who has since faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including by performers in his films. Warner Bros. cut ties with Ratner after the allegations started surfacing in 2017.
Ratner has since made a documentary about Melania Trump, who also serves as an executive producer. Amazon reportedly paid $40 million for the rights to the movie.
The New York Post reported earlier this year that the first lady will get at least $28 million out of that deal.