Kurt Russell Has Two Conditions To Play Big Trouble In Little China's Jack Burton Again

The central joke of John Carpenter's 1986 martial arts comedy "Big Trouble in Little China" is that the himbo hero Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) thinks he's the main character of the story, when really he's the dorky, comedic sidekick to other people. One should acknowledge that Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) is the true hero of "Big Trouble," and it is ultimately his heroism that saves his fiancée Miao Yin (Suzee Pai) from the clutches of the evil warlock Lo Pan (James Hong). Wang Chi is the one with fighting skills, as well as the one with connections to other magic users. Jack Burton is a silly blowhard with the muscles to fight off bad guys and the know-how of a golden retriever.

Needless to say, "Little China" is quirky and charming. It remains the most whimsical of John Carpenter's output. Indeed, it may be the only comedy film Carpenter directed; "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" is more a sci-fi thriller than a proper comedy. The screenplay was written by W.D. Richter, who penned the 1978 version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and the underrated 1979 "Dracula." Richter also famously directed the cult 1984 oddity "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension."

Back in 2015, it was announced that a remake of "Big Trouble in Little China" was in the works, and in 2018, it was clarified that this would be more of a sequel. Since 2019, however, the project seems to be in limbo.

Russell hasn't been asked to appear in the sequel, although he might be interested. In 2023, the actor spoke with ComicBook.com, saying that he'd happily return to play an older Jack Burton. He had two conditions, though: the script has to be good, and there has to be something substantive to say.

Russell always liked working with Carpenter. Apart from "Big Trouble in Little China," the pair made "Elvis," "Escape from New York," "The Thing," and "Escape from L.A." together. They had a healthy working relationship, both approaching their material with a practical, pragmatic eye. Russell, however, wouldn't want to be involved with a nostalgia-bait stinker, and would demand that any follow-ups to "Big Trouble in Little China" be written well. This almost seems obvious, but Russell wanted to go on record; he's not going to come back as Jack Burton for just anyone:

"You never say never. I mean, if somebody were to write a great script, that was better than the first one, [and] it had something new to say. I don't know, we can slap John Carpenter around a little bit and say, 'Come on, John! Let's go do this.'"

The "slap John around a little bit" line is in reference to John Carpenter's famed semi-retired state. Carpenter hasn't directed a theatrical feature since 2010's "The Ward," and hasn't expressed much interest in returning to the director's chair; he ran out of f***s to give long ago. He has said he's content to write music (he composed the scores for the 2018 "Halloween" and its sequels), play video games, perform in concerts, and hang out. Carpenter has also said that he loves when people remake his movies because he gets a check for not working at all. 

In addition, Carpenter has been busy making a zombie-themed, first-person shooter game called "Toxic Commando," due for release later in 2024. His attention is far from films at this point. Carpenter, 76, and Russell, 73, would no doubt make an amusing "Old Jack" movie together, but it would only be good if both men were wholly interested.