If you're a fan of TV reboots, then odds are you're pretty excited for the TV adaptation of Rush Hour to premiere on CBS this Thursday night. Not only will it introduce a brand new iteration of two very lovable characters, Detective Carter and Detective Lee (now played by Justin Hires and Jon Foo, respectively), but it's also being helmed by executive producer Brett Ratner, who directed the original film back in 1998. But is he the only one from the old crowd dipping his toes back into the Rush Hour franchise pool? Just like with any good reboot worth its salt, viewers are curious as to whether or not Chris Tucker will ever appear in the Rush Hour series at some point throughout the season.
Obviously, it wouldn't be to resume his old role (that part's kinda already been taken), but that doesn't mean that the writers couldn't find a way to slip the actor in for a cameo as a fitting nod to the movie, which after all is what made the show possible. But is this something that's likely to happen? Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any such talk of a special guest star appearance so far, probably due to the fact that the cast and crew want to see the series be able to stand on its own two feet without having to constantly connect it to the original films.
"It is a risky role of the dice because if it's an iconic movie that people like, you can't knock fans off of it, but I think what you hope is that a title brings people to check out your show and give it a look," executive producer Bill Lawrence recently explained to The Hollywood Reporter. "I still want to believe that if you cast it well and write it well and act it well and produce it well, that people will stay after that, long after the references to the feature are gone."
So while the show by no means wants to reject its silver screen heritage, it's also hoping to become its own entity. And sadly, they may view Tucker's appearance to be a hindrance on that goal, rather than a help.
Now, please don't misunderstand the words that are coming out of my mouth. I'm not saying that I don't want for Tucker to eventually show up. Honestly, I'm a sucker for all things nostalgic and would get a real kick out of seeing him in such a familiar setting, cracking inside jokes that only fans of the movies would get. However, I also understand why they would potentially want to delay this from happening for a while, at least until the show established itself as a separate commodity to viewers. But that's assuming that Tucker himself would be interested in any such cameo. As of now, the actor has remained fairly silent about the whole reboot, so it may be hard to get him onboard.
Either way, though, I wouldn't hold my breath for a Tucker appearance anytime soon. Maybe it'll be possible at some point down the line, but for now all we can do is have a little patience.
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