Gold Rush Hour

Following a series of intense negotiations, chuckle man Chris Tucker has succeeded in signing up for a whopping $20 million to appear in Rush Hour 2. Not only is the amount a hefty hike up from the comedian's salary for the original movie - a mere $3 million - it's also the second highest salary to be paid to a black actor in Hollywood. However the deal, according to Variety, will only happen if New Line manage to sign up Jackie Chan for the movie. Chan is reputedly being offered $15 million to appear. It may all sound ridiculous, but studio bosses probably feel they're still on a winner - Rush Hour made a satisfactory $243 million at the box office. Tucker's one remaining rival for top dollar is Eddie Murphy, who was the first black actor to reach the $20 million level for Nutty Professor 2.