Get ready for another ride on The Porkchop Express! Just days after Dwayne Johnson scored his biggest non-franchise hit with San Andreas, he's now landed the lead role in a remake of John Carpenter's 1986 cult classic, Big Trouble in Little China.
The Wrap reports that 20th Century Fox has hired writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz (X-Men: First Class) will pen the remake, with Johnson set to produce and star. The original film was envisioned by Carpenter as a Western, but a rewrite updated it to a present-day mystical kung fu flick. That's pretty much the plot of the film, too, as it follows American trucker Jack Burton (Johnson) who stumbles into a centuries-old mystical battle in San Francisco's Chinatown. Burton continues to be one of Kurt Russell's most enduring roles, probably second to Snake Plissken from Escape to New York, another Carpenter film that is supposed to be getting a remake.
While Johnson may not have been the most obvious choice to play Jack Burton, it's actually a really good fit. The role calls for a tough everyman who is quick with the quips and has an ego bigger than Johnson's biceps. It's perfect. Still, Big Trouble in Little China is beloved by millions and remaking it a tough prospect. It will be very interesting to see who they get to direct it, but would anyone be surprised if it's San Andreas and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island director, Brad Peyton?
