AnEscape from New Yorkremake has been in the planning stages for a number of years now, but has never been set up at a studio. The movie is now moving forward at 20th Century Fox after the studio emerged from a competitive bidding war victorious, closing a deal to bring the 1981 classic back to the big screen. Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman’s The Picture Company are producing. No cast or director has been set at this time.
Avco Embassy released the original, with the rights belonging to Studiocanal.John Carpenterwill return to this new project as an executive producer, and will provide creative input. Fox is hoping to reinvent the property, in turn launching a new franchise.
In the originalEscape From New York,Kurt Russellstarred as eyepatch-wearing career criminal Snake Plissken, who is tasked with rescuing the president of the United States from within a quarantined section of New York City on the eve of WWIII. Plissken, a former special forces operative convicted of trying to rob the Federal Reserve, has 22 hours to find the President and bring him back from within this walled-off state that has become a maximum security prison. The president, on the other hand, is carrying a tape that holds the key to peace. If Snake fails, he is wired to explode.
John Carpentercreated the very cynical original in the aftermath of the Watergate Scandal, and set his futuristic tale in the year 1997. While the film has been building towards a remake for many years, this is the first time thatJohn Carpenterhas gotten involved. It was reported last year thatSons of AnarchystarCharlie Hunnamwas being eyed as Snake, but that is not true. No rights deal has ever been made for the remake until now, and the production team will start from scratch, and at this time there is no script. It isn’t known at this time ifKurt Russellwill somehow be involved with the production.
