I remember when I first started working for Nerdist as a staffer rather than a contributor, maybe circa 2013, talk of a remake of John Carpenter’s 1981 dystopian future/action movie Escape from New York made the rounds. You math wizzes will know that’s roughly 13 years ago. It always felt like the movie that demanded a remake but never actually got one. Earlier this year, StudioCanal said once again they were working on an Escape from New York remake. Now, today, we have a pretty good inkling it’ll actually happen. Why? Because The Hollywood Reporter has shared none other than Zack Snyder will direct.
StudioCanal, the THR piece says, wants to shore up its presence as a franchise factory, with its Paddington and Evil Dead series already up and running. Over the many years of attempts, directors like Len Wiseman, Breck Eisner, and a piece of crap who directed stuff like Tower Heist all had their names attached. Gerard Butler was usually the name who was to play Snake Plissken. Snyder is actually a really good choice to direct. He has a very specific style I think would work really well with this kind of gritty sci-fi. The piece also says Snyder will likely make it using more practical sets and effects rather than the CGI-heavy nature of his recent works.
Carpenter’s original film took place in a dystopian 1997 in which, inexplicably, the U.S. government has turned the entire island of Manhattan into a walled-off, maximum security prison. The President’s plane goes down while flying over and the reigning gang leader of the prison holds him for ransom. With only 24 hours before historic peace accords, the government sends in incarcerated mercenary Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to retrieve POTUS. If he doesn’t, his head will explode.
I love Escape from New York, and I think its biggest feat is making you think it has more action than it does. The vibe is impeccable, the locations and characters are vibrant, and the music is—as usual—perfection. But there actually isn’t very much actual action in it. But it always feels like it’s wall-to-wall.
Carpenter—who will serve as producer on the remake—has always said, if the money is good, he doesn’t mind a remake of his earlier movies. I could see Snyder doing for Escape what he did for George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead in 2007. Granted, that movie had a great, smart script from James Gunn. Time will tell with Escape.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.
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