He’s been busy rescuing San Andreas from a rubble-strewn fate, but Dwayne Johnson‘s next possible tough guy role may see him facing unearthly terrors in more mystical territory.
1986’s Big Trouble In Little China is reportedly one of the former wrestler’s favourite films, and he’s keen to remake it with himself in the lead as affable trucker Jack Burton. Burton was played by Kurt Russell in John Carpenter‘s original effort and Kim Cattrall co-starred.
The source material is best-described as uncategorizable, following the workaday hero with a mouth as big as his fists as he got caught up in the underworld of San Francisco’s Chinatown, encountering many fantastical sights and battling an ancient sorceror and his elemental henchmen. It’s also one of those movies that underperformed before attaining cult status on video, so a risky venture for a big budget reboot.
Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz are working on a screenplay for Johnson to topline and produce via his 7 Bucks Productions banner. 20th Century Fox will release the picture. Russell’s probably having quite an odd time watching old characters get resurrected – his and Carpenter’s Escape From New York creation Snake Plissken is also being brought back to cinemas soon.
