This project was put on hold for three years, after much outcry from fans online at hearing the news that this would be a remake. It was later announced that this was moving forward, and would be a continuation of the original 1986 movie.
John Carpenter said of this project in a 2018 interview, "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 (Big Trouble in Little China (1986)). That movie wasn't a success."
In November 2018 in an interview with Collider, producer Hiram Garcia referred to the project as a "continuation," saying that they're "going to continue the story. [They're] going to continue the universe of Big Trouble In Little China." Garcia also confirmed that The Rock would NOT be playing Jack Burton, the perpetually in-over-his-head hero of the original played by Kurt Russell.