While we continue to ponder whether or not theBig Trouble in Little Chinaremake starringDwayne Johnsonis a good thing, we now have something new and exciting to pore over from the original movie itself. As we approach the 30th Anniversary ofBig Trouble in Little China, which was released August 06, 2025, we have a first look at the big coffee table book that explores the making of the movie. Along with the cover art, we also have two behind-the-scenes photos.
Thanks toEntertainment Weekly, we get a sneak peek at this awesome tome from authorsTara BennettandPaul Terry. At the time ofBig Trouble’s debut in theaters, the Fourth of July release date window wasn’t what it has become today. And the movie didn’t fare too well amongst other big summer blockbusters. Its box office reception was tepid, to say the least, pulling in just $11 million. Even though the movie is now a big cult hit, it also didn’t fare well amongst critics during its initial run.
The movie follows the iconicJack Burton, played byKurt Russell, a dimwitted truck driver who teams up with his much smarter friend Wang (Dennis Dun) to save the man’s green-eyed finance from a monster-filledunderworldhiding beneath the San Francisco sewer system. BOOM! Studios will release the bookThe Official Making of Big Trouble in Little Chinathis August. And it promises to deliver hundreds of never-before-seen behind-the-scenes photos along with interviews from both the cast and crew.
AuthorsTara BennettandPaul Terryare self-proclaimed super fans who have seen the movie literally thousands of times, first discovering it on VHS back in the 80s. They pitched the idea to 20th Century Fox, which guaranteed the word ‘official’ would be part of the book’s title. In writing the book, they had to track down all of the actors and crew members they could find. DirectorJohn Carpenterwas the very first person to agree to a sit down chat about the movie. But securing some of the others wasn’t so easy. About culling together all of the fun stuff that is revealed for the first time in the book,Paul Terrysays this.
“One of the exciting things was that we were able to go to the Fox archives, which are like the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark crossed with the X-Files archival rooms. We did a deep dive into things that had never seen the light of day. Beyond the key art, which is approved and given out to press, people hadn’t seen any of these photos of the film being made, the actors goofing around on set, production, development. Once we starred diving into literally thousands of photos, we realized that there was going to be a ton of stuff to organize and choose from. We don’t skim through anything. We ensure we really deep dive. We’ve gone pretty crazy with the deep-diving. But it’s been so fun because we love the movie.”
Thanks to EW, we have a look at the book’s cover, which reuses the original one-sheet poster art. There is also a behind-the-scenes photo featuringKurt Russell,Dennis DunandVictor Wong, and another withJames Hongputting on his David Lo Pan make-up. At this time,Dwayne Johnsonis preparing to pull on the iconic leather boots of Jack Burton and head back into the San Francisco sewer system to fight ancient Chinese gangs and creepy monsters in theBig Trouble in Little China remake. But at this time, the remake doesn’t have a set start date. And a director has not been chosen just yet. In the mean time, take a look at the original, a classic that many don’t believe can be touched.
