Despite the presence of The Rock and the cult nature of the original film, there are still some who are on the fence about the rumored remake of Big Trouble In Little China. And now those detractors have a major voice on their contrary side of the situation: director John Carpenter.
Carpenter spoke with The Wall Street Journal about the remake that’s rumored to star Dwayne Johnson as Jack Burton and the director didn’t really seem to have positive feelings toward the idea:
“I’m ambivalent about a remake,” said Carpenter, who is also known for directing Halloween and Escape From New York. “On the other hand, it depends on how much they pay me.”
According to Bleeding Cool, Carpenter took part in a Facebook thread about the remake, saying that he was not involved in the project. He said he was “fine” with the new version because he didn’t write the original film, adding: “No harm, no foul.”
The Wall Street Journal interview also adds that Carpenter hasn’t even spoken to The Rock about the remake despite the actor’s desire to have him involved in the project in some form. He did have an opinion on Johnson replacing Kurt Russel as Jack Burton:
In the original “Big Trouble,” Kurt Russell played the lead character, Jack Burton, a swaggering but bumbling spoof on the usual Hollywood leading man type. Likewise, Johnson, who appeared in “Furious 7″ with Russell, has shown a knack for not taking himself too seriously, which is a positive point for fans and Carpenter.
“It would be hard if not impossible to replace Kurt Russell as Jack Burton,” Carpenter said. “On the other hand, Johnson has a comic touch in his performances, so perhaps.”
I’d like to know when they replaced John Carpenter with one of the people from the Neutral Planet in Futurama. He seems to just waver in the seas of indecision about this (or he’s negotiating for a big check). I’m also torn inside because I love Carpenter, I love Big Trouble, and I quite enjoy The Rock. It’s a tough situation. At least come in to remake the theme, John!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D03E9kUTTtQ
