Problem was, audiences werent, and the film flopped.
Dwayne The Rock Johnson, now set to star in a planned Fox remake.
Its like, I know what kind of person you are!
Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy Everett Collection
You know, when something is a cult classic, its a cult classic for a reason.
The script was penned by Gary Goldman and David Z. Weinstein and subsequently adapted by W.D.
Richter, director of another bombturnedcult classic, 1984sThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
JOHN CARPENTER (Director): I saw my first kung fu movie in 1973.
It was what the hell was the name of that thing?
Five Fingers of Death!
It was truly an astonishing film.
There was an innocence to these movies and a joyousness that I loved.
I wanted to bring all that to Big Trouble.
It had been a Western, originally, but then it was rewritten to be a modern-day movie.
GARY GOLDMAN (Writer): Ours was about a cowboy in Chinatown in 1899.
Twentieth Century Fox tried to make it as a Western.
They sent to Walter Hill [director ofThe Long Ridersand48 HRS].
He declined to do it.
Richter came up, I presume, with the idea of making it contemporary.
I wasnt privy to that process.
RICHTER (Screenplay adapter):Buckaroo Banzaimystified people.
Nobody was pounding on my door to direct the next thing.
I got theBig Troublescript through my agent.
It struck me that it might be more vibrant if it were a contemporary movie.
That was my pitch.
GOLDMAN: The idea that we would be rewritten was not so unthinkable.
RICHTER: I [understood] Jack Burton from the beginning kind of a lovable loudmouth.
He didnt talk that away at all [in the original screenplay].
I was thinking the other day that hes maybe a likable Donald Trump.
Its not beyond my imagination.
CARPENTER: Jack Burton is a guy who is a sidekick but doesnt know it.
Hes an American fool in a world that he doesnt understand.
Kurt Russell had worked with Carpenter onEscape From New YorkandThe Thing.
Other good guys were played by Donald Li and the late Victor Wong.
KURT RUSSELL (Jack Burton): I thought John cast the movie right.
The people fit their roles and they knew what to do.
Kim Cattrall was terrific.
I was aware at the time that it was pretty extraordinary.
CARPENTER: Dennis Dun was one of the actors from San Francisco, the Bay Area.
He and Victor Wong were actors up there.
RUSSELL: The real lead was Wang.
DENNIS DUN (Wang Chi): It was only my second film.
I was very nervous taking a part like this.
He came in and read for me and he was just brilliant.
JAMES HONG (David Lo Pan): Sixty-three years Ive been in the industry.
For the first 50 years, I was averaging 10 feature or TV appearances every year.
JOHNSON: His character is just so funny.
You know that scene where hes in his electric wheelchair and he comes bursting into the study?
Shut up, Mr Burton!
John would be like, Cut!
The third time, John literally threw me off-set because I was ruining all these takes [Laughs].
Dun could claim only limited martial-arts experience; Russell had none.
The general idea is that its this mythological Chinese creature that is Lo Pans way of seeing remotely.
So, this flying eye will go out and get information and bring it back to Lo Pan.
It was just a huge, surrealistic ball of eyes.
The challenge was,How do you make a ball of eyes look realistic and be able to emote?
The only way to do it was with a huge animatronic puppet.
But imagine how many motors had to go inside of it.
We had so many motors in that.
CARPENTER: I just remember all of it being fun.
The John Lloyd sets were incredible.
HONG: I told Carpenter, he should get an Academy Award for the sets.
He said, How bout you?
So, I was very flattered by that.
CARPENTER: Dennis could fake martial arts really well.
DUN: I had dabbled in it since I was a kid.
I learned how to use the tachi sword, which is what I use in the film.
I knew I had to make it seem like I was an expert!
RUSSELL: I couldnt do the chop-sockey.
I had to come up with ways to not be involved.
Jacks out for the first two minutes of the fight thats 10 minutes long, whatever.
I was just constantly finding things like that…
I did learn how to drive an 18-wheeler.
I forgot about that.
It was pretty easy.
BURTON: We spent a lot of time swimming underground.
I spent most of the movie soaking wet.
I think I was dry, like, two scenes in the movie.
Every day, I would come into work and go into hair and makeup and look absolutely stunning.
Then the next thing that would happen is that someone would throw a bucket of water on my head.
RUSSELL: Its wet you get wet.
Thats what its like getting in water.
You should try it sometime!
[Laughs]
DUN: Thats a Kurt Russell answer…
I know some people got sick.
Theres water, bacteria, people running through, something came out of their sock.
I was so healthy from working out all the time, I didnt get sick.
RUSSELL: One time, Kim and I kissed…. Then I noticed that the crew was smirking.
I had lipstick all over my face.
I said, You know, Ive always wondered about that.
I looked at John, and I started laughing….
I said, [Lets leave the lipstick on] at least for a couple of scenes!
And he said, All right.
I always admired John for that, because the audience is going to go, What the f?
Thats an old Chinese fable-key in of magic-fighting.
And Carpenter put that in the film.
CARPENTER: The soundtrack was a lot of fun to do.
Then we did a music video!
It was all unbelievable times.
It was really unpleasant.
What are you going to do?
Youre right, I am Caucasian!
And then we were picketed.
I knew I had a responsibility, being an Asian-American actor.
I talked with John Carpenter, and you could tell that he didnt want a disparaging image of Asians.
Ive been on sets where you go there and you feel like youre a second class citizen sometimes.
But on that set you felt like you were part of the team.
But inside I was going, Yeah!
And then it came out.
HONG: The critics didnt like it.
They slashed it to pieces.
RUSSELL: Without opening up old wounds, that picture really suffered a strange [marketing plan].
It was all on Jack Burton.
It was all based on trying to theoretically get the audience interested in Who is this guy?
And the answer was, Ive got no fing idea!
GOLDMAN: I have a different view of what happened.
But it was a bomb.
But it didnt happen.
RICHTER: Was I disappointed?
[With deep sarcasm] No, I always love to have things tank.
Who wants to entertain hundreds of millions of people?
CARPENTER: What do you think?
That one really grabbed a hold of the audience.
By 2012 it was a full-fledged cult phenomenon.
A Gangnam Style parody video called Lo Pan Style went viral.
In 2015 the company Funko released a line ofBig Troublevinyl figures, and later this year BOOM!
Im always inundated by kids who go, Oh my god, you were inBig Trouble in Little China!
JOHNSON: I think audiences have gotten a little bit more sophisticated since the movie was put out.
I think it was difficult for people to categorize it back then.
What the hell is this thing?
But its incredibly unique.
I just hope they dont ruin it with this sequel, or prequel, or whatever theyre doing.
CARPENTER: Oh god help us, I dont know.
RUSSELL: Dwayne Johnson as Jack Burton?
Hey, Im sure hell come up with a good take on it.
Ive got no problem with that.
And John CarpentersBig Trouble in Little Chinaholds up.
