Remake of Big Trouble In Little China.

[Alex]

After audiences hurried to see disaster strike in blockbuster San Andreas - it snagged $54 million at the box office over the weekend - it seems as if leading man Dwayne Johnson is heading back to California for his next adventure.

According to The Wrap, Johnson is "in negotiations" to star in and produce a remake of John Carpenter's action caper Big Trouble In Little China over at Fox. Should he iron out a deal to play Jack Burton, he'll be working from a script by X-Men: First Class writers Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller. The pair have already signed on to script the remake.



The original was released in 1982 and starred Kurt Russell as a truck driver who becomes embroiled in an ancient battle that takes place in San Francisco's Chinatown.  While initially it was labelled a box office flop, the film has since firmly established itself as a cult classic. Part sci-fi, part-horror, and all-action it's a brilliant Carpenter title from his '80s heyday and well worth a re-watch.

So part of me is thinking "Oh hell no!", but the other part of me is thinking, well maybe... if anyone can pull it off...

[etmoviesb]

Seeing how good Mad Max seems to be, maybe they can pull it off.

[Trevor]

Oy: next thing you know, they'll remake John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness with me playing the lead role. 

[Newt]

So part of me is thinking "Oh hell no!", but the other part of me is thinking, well maybe... if anyone can pull it off...

Same for me.  Maybe. 

[Jack]

Can't imagine that without Kurt Russell. 

[Flangepart]

Why? Seriously, why? If they wanna, just re-do some FX like the space scenes in ST/TOS. I liked that. I like the Rock as an actor...but BTILC?
Oy...

[Alex]

Just on a side note, I generally get round to listening to commentary tracks on DVD's at some point. Some of the best ones I've listened to were between Kurt Russell and John Carpenter on this and Escape From New York. They tend to wander completely off topic and chat about random things like old friends catching up.

I am alternating between feeling well thats going to be a pile of suck, and thinking well Dwayne does have plenty of charisma, but (assuming they make it in more or less the same way as the original), can he play a hero who is actually pretty useless at being a hero, or will they make it a more straight laced action film. Offhand I can't think of any roles he has played so far that go into that kind of territory (unless maybe you count The Tooth Fairy?).

[Dr. Whom]

I doubt it. It worked because Kurt Russell's character was essentially the comic relief sidekick, and he played it absolutely as the hero. I doubt whether the present day studios will greenlight such a subversive take on the genre. Most likely they will try to turn it into straight up action movie with a wisecracking hero and all will be lost.

Will Kim Cattrall reprise her role, I wonder?

[Newt]

I agree: it won't come off well at all if they cannot capture the same 'tone' as the first.  I can picture Dwayne Johnson doing it justice...given a chance. 

[ulthar]

Man, a lot of Carpenter's films have been remade or slated for remakes.

My question is "Why do people think they need to be 'updated'?"  I mean, they have followings for a REASON.

I guess part of the blame lies on the misconception that a movie's visuals make the movie...that those 80's looks are passe and that's what needs to be updated.  But Carpenter in the 80's made films that transcend the visuals.

Carpenter was a tremendous film maker back in the day who was, as cliched as it sounds, ahead of his time.  I just view all these rehashings as perhaps an art lover would view a child's stick-figure drawing of The Mona Lisa.  They might be cute, but they will NEVER even approach the level of the base work.

[messedup]

Why not make a sequel with Russell? If Stallone can still play Rambo, Arnie can still play Terminator or Ford can still play Indy or Han Solo (kinda) I don't see why Russell couldn't.
But I honestly don't think I would mind seeing Dwayne in a remake if done right.

[Dr. Whom]

A sequel would make more sense, as has been shown by Mad Max. I wouldn't mind Dwayne Johnson in it as well, but, for me,  someone like Ryan Kwanten would be more suited. He has the ability to be heroic and completely baffled at the same time.

[Bushma]

[BoyScoutKevin]

Almost every time someone remakes a film, I save some money, because I have little or no interest in seeing most remakes, especially, as in this case, I saw the original. Though, now might be time to remake it, because the original one was a film seemingly ahead of its time. While it cost $25 million, low by today's standards, to make, it grossed only $11 million at the U.S. box office, and I presume it grossed an equal amount or less in the international box office. Thus, it was apparently a film that cost more to make than it recovered at the box office. Of course, that does not include TV, where I saw it, rights and DVD and video sales.

[ChaosTheory]

Would I like to see The Rock star in an offbeat action comedy? Absolutely.

Should that offbeat action comedy be a remake of BTiLC? Most definitely NOT.