Trivia: Kim Cattrall was surprised when she got to the set for the prison scene one morning, as no one told her she would be hogtied for the entire scene (in the story, it was due to a deleted scene when she made trouble for her guards). She endured it like a professional, occasionally having her gag removed so she could drink water. When asked by John Carpenter whether or not she was uncomfortable, she simply replied 'I've been in tighter situations than this!'
Trivia: The weapons Lightning uses in the street-fight scene are known as ema-piercers - sharpened spikes mounted on finger or hand rings, capable of rotation. However, the rotation usually comes from the motion the user makes in combat; Lightning apparently uses his own power to make them spin like rotors.
Trivia: Even though Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai portray characters with green eyes, both actresses actually have brown eyes in real-life. Both had to wear green contacts for the film.
Trivia: The opening "prologue" in which Egg Shen speaks positively about Jack Burton was added at the request of the studio, who felt that Burton didn't seem "heroic" enough in the film. In retrospect, director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell found this addition amusing, because although Burton is the "main character", he's actually the "sidekick" to the character Wang Chi within the context of the story.
Trivia: The original script was actually a period piece set in the old American West, though it retained the same basic plot. The Jack Burton character was originally envisioned to be a cowboy who was trying to get his stolen horse back. When the film was re-written into a modern setting, Jack Burton was changed into a truck driver who is trying to get his stolen truck back. This is because John Carpenter and the writers saw truck-drivers as the modern equivalent of old-west cowboys. (Lonely wanderers who go from town to town, finding new people, places and situations along their way).
Trivia: The movie's plot was largely adapted for the episode "A Chinatown Ghost Story" of the 2012 CGI series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with James Hong reprising his role as the main antagonist Ho Chan (who is patterned after Lo Pan) and with appearances by the Storms Thunder and Lightning (Rain being replaced by an entity named Wind).
Trivia: The characters Raiden and Shang Tsung from the popular fighting game "Mortal Kombat" were references to this film - Raiden's abilities were partially inspired by the warriors known as the "Three Storms", while Shang Tsung was heavily inspired by the villain Lo Pan.
