In 1983, genre film legend John Carpenter took on a job adapting Stephen King’s novel “Christine” onto film.
On the whole, the film isn’t considered one of Carpenter’s best, but it’s hardly his worst either and certainly does have it fans.
In 2021, Sony and Blumhouse announced plans for a remake of the film, with Bryan Fuller penning the script and directing.
With the original turning forty this year, Total Film sat down with both Carpenter himself and the film’s star Keith Gordon to discuss the movie’s legacy.
In the chat, Carpenter was asked about Fuller’s reboot, saying: “Oh boy. Well, good luck to him. It will probably be better.” Gordon, meanwhile, had a much longer answer:
“I think he’s really talented and a good person to do it. 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.”
Carpenter still regards his “Christine” as just “a job,” one he needed after he was fired from another Stephen King adaptation – “Firestarter” – because his own “The Thing” opened poorly with critics and at the box-office.
“Christine” is reportedly returning to some theaters for its 40th anniversary on October 20th.
