John Carpenter thinks the upcoming Christine remake will “probably” be better than his version.
Speaking with Total Film, Carpenter reflected on what brought him to direct Christine, a supernatural horror film released in 1983 and based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.
“I needed a job, frankly,” he said. “The Thing was my very first studio film. I was just diving in the pool here, and all of a sudden, WHAM. And getting fired off a movie is not the most pleasant thing.”
When he was filming The Thing, Carpenter was tapped to direct Firestarter, which is also based on a King novel. The Thing, however, underperformed at the box office, leading Universal to replace Carpenter with Mark L. Lester. Carpenter then went on to direct Christine instead.
As for the upcoming Christine remake being directed by Bryan Fuller, Carpenter said, “Oh boy. Well, good luck to him. It will probably be better.”
Christine star Keith Gordon gives his thoughts on Fuller’s remake
Keith Gordon, who starred in Carpenter’s Christine, also shared his thoughts about the forthcoming movie.
“I think [Fuller’s] really talented, and a good person to do it,” says Gordon. “I mean, I don’t have a negative feeling about people remaking something, especially 40 years later. Christine could be told in a different way and not be an insult to the original. There’s a very short list of untouchable classics that should never be remade – films where their groundbreaking-ness or idiosyncrasy is what makes them special. I wouldn’t want to see anybody’s remake of Citizen Kane, or 2001, or Raging Bull.”
Fuller is also writing the script for the Christine remake, while Jason Blum, Vincenzo Natali, and Steve Hoban are producing it. Production has not yet begun and no casting announcements have been made at this time. The Christine remake currently does not have a release date.
