Roman Polanski has signed on to star in the action flick, Rush Hour 3 for New Line Cinema.

The director has been cast as a French police officer who harasses Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan's characters in several scenes, while the stars battle a wing of a Chinese organized-crime family. Variety reports Polanski's occasionally acted in European films, but Rush Hour 3 marks his first acting gig in a Hollywood pic since 1974's Chinatown.

Director Brett Ratner persuaded Polanski to appear after a chance encounter while in pre-production in Paris; they're now shooting in the 'City of Love.' Rush Hour 3 hits theaters August 10, 2007.