The original Big Trouble in Little China is one of the more obscure entries into director John Carpenter’s career, as rather than being a straightforward horror film, it blended together a variety of genres for an entirely unique experience. That unique blend of tones has also made it one of the filmmaker’s more beloved adventures, which is likely why Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been trying to revive the Kurt Russell-starring adventure, though original actor James Hong thinks the 1986 film should just be left on its own. Unless, of course, Johnson aims to bring back Hong to play the villainous and supernatural David Lo-Pan, in which case the actor will gladly return. Hong’s latest film, Wendell & Wild, hits Netflix on October 28th.
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“Without Lo-Pan? How dare he,” Hong joked with ComicBook.com about the planned follow-up. “Well, I think they should leave the classic alone. However, I’d like to reappear in the new one and do something spiritually, like Star Wars where the characters come back and do a reprieve of some kind. Obviously, because let’s admit it, Lo-Pan is a huge part of that first one, so how can you forget him?”
Reports of Johnson reviving the concept go back to 2015, though with how few official details have been revealed since then, it’s unclear if the project will ever truly move forward. While there’s understandably conflicted thoughts about the project, Carpenter isn’t entirely thrilled about the notion.
“They want a movie withย Dwayne Johnson. That’s what they want. So they just picked that title,” Carpenter shared with CinemaBlend in 2018. “They don’t give a sh-t about me and my movie. That movie wasn’t a success.”
Russell, who starred in Furious 7 andย The Fate of the Furiousย with Johnson, previously recalled that he wasn’t approached about the project, though supported Johnson’s passion.
“He’s just a really good guy,” Russell said to USA Today of The Rock in 2018. “I like working with him and if he’s going to do it, he and his crew will hopefully be able to come up with something that I guess makes the title work.” ย
In 2021, producer Hiram Garcia offered an update on the project’s status.
“It’s still an ambition of ours but unfortunately there are complications that come with a legacy property like that which has so much attached to it from over the years,” Garcia shared with Collider. “We have a really fun idea on what we’d want to do with it, especially since our goal was never to remakeย Big Troubleย but simply continue it. Similar to what we did withย Jumanjiย we would continue the story and make sure the original stands on its own since it means so much to us and fans all around the world. So needless to say we are still working on making that happen but as with any great project the road is not easy but we are sticking to it! We’re going toย figure out a way to continue the story ofย Big Trouble in Little China.”
Hong’s latest film is described, “From the delightfully wicked minds of Henry Selick and producer Jordan Peele, comesย Wendell & Wild, anย animated tale about scheming demon brothersย Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele) — who enlist the aid of Kat Elliot — a tough teen with a load of guilt — to summon them to the Land of the Living. But what Kat demands in return leads to a brilliantly bizarre and comedic adventure like no other, an animated fantasy that defies the law of life and death, all told through the handmade artistry of stop motion.”
Wendell & Wild hits Netflix on October 28th. Stay tuned for possible updates on a new Big Trouble in Little China.
Would you like to see Hong return as Lo-Pan? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaughย directly on Twitterย to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
