It would appear that Big Trouble In Little China is becoming the latest classic John Carpenter movie to get the proposed remake treatment... and it already has one very interesting lead actor getting involved with it. New reports are coming in saying that none other than Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is now in line to take on one of Kurt Russell's most iconic roles in the upcoming re-do.
The Wrap has the scoop on this development, saying that Johnson is now in talks to not only star in the new version of Big Trouble In Little China, but also serve as a producer on the project. While it doesn't look like the new movie has a director attached just yet, it does have a pair of big-time screenwriters involved, as Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class) are currently working on the script. 20th Century Fox has not yet commented on the development of the film.
Should he wind up signing on the dotted line, Dwayne Johnson will be playing the 21st century version of Jack Burton in the new Big Trouble In Little China. In the 1986 original, Burton is a truck driver who finds himself in San Francisco's Chinatown, and going with a friend to pick up their fiancee at the airport. Unfortunately, said fiancee winds up being kidnapped by street gang, but that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems. The street gang works for an evil sorcerer called Lo Pan who must marry a woman to regain his physical form. The whole film is rather over the top and at times ridiculous, but also a ton of cinematic fun that has rightly earned its place in film history as an amazing cult classic.
Admittedly, I'm a bit torn about this decision, as while I don't really think a Big Trouble In Little China remake is necessary in any way shape or form, the truth of the matter is that Dwayne Johnson really is a great choice for the Jack Burton role. I wouldn't want the San Andreas star playing Snake Plissken in an Escape From New York remake, but the guy really does have the proper kind of energy and charisma to make a new version of Burton work. It's also noted in the trade report that Johnson thinks of the original as one of his favorite movies, so he will presumably want to do it justice.
We won't really get a full picture about the direction of this project until a director is hired - but that decision will tell us a hell of a lot about what we can expect. Who would you like to see take the helm of the project? Put your suggestions in the comments below!
