Rumors and plans for an Escape From New York reboot have been circling for years, but today it seems like the first steps of a more motivated production are being taken. After the planned remake of John Carpenter\u2019s Escape From New York (1981) went through numerous directors and scriptwriters since news of the remake from New Line first broke, the rights have since lapsed, meaning all bets were off.<\/p>\n
Today Joel Silver\u2019s Silver Pictures has announced they\u2019ll be teaming up with Studio Canal to make the second trip to an incarcerated Manhattan a reality, but taking a very different direction than a simple retread.<\/p>\n
With a post-apocalyptic future setting, a grizzled, eye-patched leading man, and plenty of gunfights and brawls, it was never hard to see how a rebooted Escape From New York would fit with current sci-fi movies. But according to Deadline, Silver plans to build a trilogy of films around the property, beginning with a prequel presumably telling the story that led to the original film. The strategy worked for Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), and the studio seems to be following that film\u2019s lead-in \u2013 giving Carpenter\u2019s a similar second wind.<\/p>\n
The idea of focusing more on a prequel than a remake isn\u2019t a total shock, since reports of the previous Allan Loeb-modified script were less \u2018disaster movie,\u2019 and more \u201can expos\u00e9 of an ecosystem.\u201d In other words, a more modern look at what would actually happen if the island of Manhattan was walled off, and populated with America\u2019s worst criminals. Granted, that might not be what fans of the original hope for, but it\u2019s at least something original.<\/p>\n
The question fans will now ask is: will a prequel follow the star of the original, Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) before he fell from war hero to criminal, or save his re-casting for the retelling of Escape\u2018s plot (assuming that\u2019s planned in a future film)? It would be an odd choice to attempt a reboot of an iconic B-movie classic without its most famous character, but it\u2019s not an exaggeration to say that much of this trilogy\u2019s success could rest on its leading man.<\/p>\n
So far the likes of Gerard Butler (who bowed out citing \u2018creative differences\u2018), Jeremy Renner (whose reps claim was never offered the part), Timothy Olyphant and even Tom Hardy (busy walking in the boots of another cult icon, Mad Max) were all in contention for the role of Plissken. While they may be established names garnering attention at the moment, more than just skills or star power will have to be weighed before casting.
\nGiven how much trouble the production has seen so far, and the ongoing question as to why a film defined by its distrust of Nixon\u2019s presidency and leading man needs to be remade without either, the new star will be taking a bit of a risk. Add the fact that Kurt Russell thinks the role should be played by an American, and the most devoted fans of the original may be turned off.<\/p>\n
Whatever Silver and Studio Canal have planned, Breck Eisner \u2013 the last director attached to the reboot \u2013 maintains that a modern Escape From New York could say something important. A prequel is certainly more interesting at this point than a straightforward remake, but for now, we\u2019ll wait until we hear a more detailed plan than what Silver Pictures \u2018hopes\u2019 to achieve.<\/p>\n
What is your initial reaction to hearing about a trilogy of films set in Carpenter\u2019s post-WWIII America? Are you more intrigued by a chance to tell a new story, or do you still maintain that Escape From New York is one movie that shouldn\u2019t be remade? Sound off in the comments.