Chan blames Tucker for stalling Rush Hour 3

Aging movie star Jackie Chan, an early Shanghaiist favorite, is bad-mouthing Chris Tucker and his diva-like demands for slowing down production of the third installment of the lucrative Rush Hour franchise, which we have had to live with for seven years now. Seven years!

"He wants too much power. The movie company hasn't obliged. He wants final editing rights and the final look at the movie and so on," Chan, 51, told the Associated Press on Thursday. "He's still a new actor. How many movies has he made?"

The answer is nine, Jackie. And Shanghaiist would like to say Tucker, 32, hasn't made a half-decent movie since 1998's Rush Hour -- if we can even call that movie half decent -- but, in fact, Tucker has only made one movie since 1998. And that was Rush Hour 2 in 2001. But if he gets more than $20 million for these movies, as this website says, we can't fault Tucker for taking it easy.

And it's not like Tucker -- who Wikipedia describes as a "loud African-American with a shrill, high-pitched voice" -- has been keeping his name out of the news. In April, he was arrested by Georgia State Police for driving his Bentley 109 mph and leading cop cars on a 12-mile chase (video of Tucker's arrest). Tucker said he was late for church. And in May, Tucker testified on behalf of good friend Michael Jackson in some little trial out in California.

Chan, whose quality work we are reminded of each time we do "Shanghai" Google search, said he is currently working on a project with once-relevant director Zhang Yimou. The movie, Chan's idea, is set in the 1980s. And, speaking of the 1980s, Shanghaiist suggests you save your money when this stinker comes out and watch Zhang's Red Sorghum on DVD instead.

Chris Tucker's mug shot courtesy of The Smoking Gun.