Snake Plissken is set to return to the big screen as THR is reporting that director Zack Snyder will helm a remake of the 80s action classic Escape from New York for a theatrical release.
Released in 1981 from John Carpenter, Escape from New York starred Kurt Russell as Snake in the dystopian future of 1997 where the island of Manhattan had become an open-air prison. When the President of the United States crash lands into the decaying city, with sensitive information that could change the world, former military hero-turned-outlaw Snake Plissken is coerced into rescuing man and has to face gangs, the army, and ex-associates in order to survive.
Escape from New York was a success at the box office and became a cult favourite among 80s action films. Carpenter eventually directed a sequel, Escape from L.A., with Russell reprising his iconic role as Snake. Studios have attempted to make another Escape film or reboot the franchises for years with many potential projects ending up in development hell or falling through. Snyder’s involvement is the first real piece of news regarding a new Escape film in a long time.
According to THR, Snyder’s reimagining will be “a more down and dirty movie” compared to some of his latest like his ambitious sci-fi franchise Rebel Moon. The remake will come from StudioCanal with Zack and Deborah Snyder’s Stone Quarry producing alongside The Picture Company’s Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman.
Snyder is most known for his feature debut Dawn of the Dead, 300 and his controversial DC films which formally ended with the SnyderCut of Justice League. Since then, he had massive plans to expand Army of the Dead and Rebel Moon into huge sagas complete with intertwining media for Netflix, but the lackluster reception to those films made Netflix cancel any and all plans for an expansion.
