John Carpenter Is Not Happy About Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Big Trouble In Little China’ Sequel
It’s not a great week for Dwayne Johnson. After backlash over his casting as African-American folk hero John Henry earlier this week, another project starring The Rock has ticked off the original director. Johnson is leading the upcoming Big Trouble in Little China remake – which is now technically a sequel – and John Carpenter ain’t happy about it.
Carpenter has seen seen many of his films get the remake/reboot/sequel treatment, from Halloween to The Thing and Assault on Precinct 13. And so often, the results are disappointing (at best). So it’s no surprise Carpenter, who directed the original Big Trouble in Little China starring Kurt Russell as action hero Jack Burton, isn’t thrilled about the planned remake/sequel starring Johnson.
During the press tour for David Gordon Green’s Halloween – an really good Carpenter reboot/ sequel! – the legendary director was asked about Johnson’s upcoming version of the 1986 cult movie. When CinemaBlend asked Carpenter, along with Blumhouse’ Jason Blum, about the current trend of reboots and specifically the new Big Trouble, here’s what Carpenter had to say:
They want a movie with Dwayne Johnson. That’s what they want. So they just picked that title. They don’t give a shit about me and my movie. That movie wasn’t a success.
It’s especially interesting considering Johnson said back in 2015 that he hoped Carpenter would be involved in the new movie. So was Carpenter consulted and not pleased with the project, or is he just generally unhappy with the idea of another remake? That’s unclear, but it sure sounds like he won’t be giving the project his blessing.
Johnson’s last reboot/sequel Jumanji was a mega box office hit and has another sequel on the way. But maybe that was just luck; throwing The Rock and his biceps in just any action movie doesn’t mean it’s an guaranteed success. Just look at Rampage.
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