John Carpenter On Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Big Trouble’ Sequel: “They Don’t Give A Sh*t About Me And My Movie”

John Carpenter‘s “Big Trouble in Little China” is a film with an interesting history. Starring Kurt Russell, coming off his success in Carpenter films “The Thing” and “Escape from New York,” ‘Big Trouble’ had all the makings of what could have been a huge hit film. Then, in 1986, the film flopped big time at the box office. However, over the ensuing years, Carpenter’s little action/fantasy film became a cult phenomenon, making Russell’s Jack Burton character just as iconic as any other he’s played. So, it’s no surprise that Hollywood is attempting to rekindle that fire with a sequel. But John Carpenter isn’t happy about it.

Back in 2015, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was attached to a sequel/reboot of “Big Trouble in Little China.” However, not much was known about the film, whether it was going to be a remake or a sequel, over the next 3 years. Then earlier this year, producer Hiram Garcia said that plans were to continue the story of ‘Big Trouble’ and that The Rock would never try to replace Russell as Jack Burton.

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So, when Carpenter was asked by CinemaBlend about his response to the news that The Rock is going to make a sequel to his 32-year-old film, his answer continues the recent trend of “John Carpenter Has Zero Fucks To Give.”

“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,” explained the legendary director.

And despite the clear anger in his response (or maybe it’s apathy), Carpenter brings up a good point. Johnson has made a career out of revitalizing franchises by doing little more than showing up, being his charismatic self, and waiting for the money to come flowing his way. “Fast and Furious,” “G.I. Joe,” and most recently “Jumanji” are all franchises that benefitted from Dwayne Johnson’s hulking physique.

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The real question remains — is a ‘Big Trouble’ sequel needed (or even possible)?

Despite the film’s cult status, there’s definitely some problematic issues with the story and characters, by 2018 standards. Asian culture is thoroughly ravaged in the film, lending itself to the pulpy, throwback nature of the story. But in this day and age, what can The Rock do to play off the first film, but present something a bit more…modern?

That’s where Carpenter’s comment comes into play. Inevitably, due to the nature of the first film compounded by the fact that none of the characters will probably carry over, ‘Big Trouble 2’ looks to be just another Dwayne Johnson action film, where he’s the charismatic, one-liner-delivering, loveable brute that fans pay to see on the big screen.

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We’ll have to wait and see. Until then, let’s travel back a few decades and revisit the awesomeness that is ‘Big Trouble,’ with this look at the original film’s trailer: