Big Trouble in Little China is a beloved cult-classic film that inspired many in the video game space, most notably the early Mortal Kombat games. Apogee founder and Duke Nukem co-creator Scott Miller recently revealed that he pitched a spin-off game based on the film, but that it never got off the ground.
When I was talking to FOX’s film division several years ago, I put together a pitch for making a game based on Big Trouble in Little China. I saw Jack becoming a really cool, long-term game character. pic.twitter.com/m17gEKGPX3
— Scott Miller – Apogee/3D Realms Founder ☢️ (@ScottApogee) July 21, 2024
Miller posted several slides from the pitch on social media. According to him, he proposed the game “several years ago” when talking to Fox’s film division. The slides describe the hypothetical project as a sequel story that would have continued the adventures of the film’s unwilling hero, Jack Burton (Kirk Russell).
Miller compared his vision for the game with his work on Duke Nukem 3D, calling it a “fast-action, humor-filled first-person action game.” One slide lists several elements of the film that the game would’ve featured: Chinese black magic, Jack Burton’s truck the Pork Chop Express, bullet time, and “sorcerer aliens from space.” (This is based on a Burton quote from the film: “A man would have to be some kinda fool to think we’re all alone in the universe.”)
Miller said that the pitch was under consideration when Disney began the deal to buy 20th Century Fox, which closed in 2019, and that it died after Disney took control of the brand. Though the film was famously unsuccessful at the box office, the idea of reviving cult classics into video games has become more popular in recent years. For example, Robocop: Rogue City released to relatively positive reviews back in 2023.
