Escape From New York Remake Chances Addressed By Former Director Candidate

Director Leigh Whannell, a former candidate to lead a remake of Escape from New York, has addressed what the chances are that the project will happen. Originally released in 1981, the sci-fi action film focuses on Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier who must rescue President John Harker (Donald Pleasence) from inmates in Manhattan. The film has become a classic, with plans for a remake later taking shape under Whannell’s leadership in 2019. However, the project has since been shelved, with the director’s upcoming Wolf Man film being his primary focus now.

Speaking with ComicBook about Wolf Man, Whannell explained how he would be open to directing an Escape from New York remake in the future, if the project was ever revitalized. Speaking about how some film projects simply don’t make it past the planning stage, the director explained how many different factors can result in a movie no longer being made. But he’s not closing the door on returning, even though the film isn’t in development for now. Check out what Whannell had to say below:

It’s so funny, with the movie industry, projects can die for various reasons. It can be something as simple as, ‘Oh, we lost the rights,’ it could be something like I’m just not gelling with the producers. I feel like the projects that do come to life are almost accidents. Like, ‘Oh, this one actually happened.’ So I think, for now, Escape from New York, if it came back around, I’d think about it, but for now, it’s not happening.

It Probably Isn’t Going To Happen Anytime Soon

Many challenges have befallen the planned Escape from New York reboot, which at one point had Scream directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin attached in 2022. There were also reports the reboot would actually be a sequel, continuing the story of the universe while giving a nod toward the previous two movies. Given that Russell’s Snake is considered one of the best heroes in Carpenter-directed movies, it’s hard to imagine anyone else taking on the role. And, with the project currently shelved, nobody will be anytime soon.

Whannell’s statement does emphasize his interest in the project, though, indicating he’d be willing to take it on should it become viable once again. The director has proven himself a strong candidate thanks to his critically acclaimed remake of The Invisible Man, while first reactions to Wolf Man are already looking promising. While he’s no longer attached, with Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin also not working on the movie anymore, there’s still a possibility Escape from New York‘s legacy sequel or remake will one day happen.

Our Take On Whannell’s Interest In An Escape From New York Remake

He’d Be The Perfect Director If The Project Was Resurrected

Given how expertly Whannell’s been able to remake Universal horror movies, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for his talents to transfer over to other movies. Since there are plenty of dark elements that an Escape from New York remake could explore, he could fit perfectly with a unique vision, if the project does get revitalized in the future. For now, though, it might be best not to remake the movie until a more succinct idea of what it would look like comes to the table.

Source: ComicBook

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John Carpenter takes on the role of writer, composer, and director in Escape from New York, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film where a large portion of New York City is converted into the biggest prison in the world, with all criminals in the United States sentenced there. When the President is kidnapped and taken abruptly into the heart of the prison, the government will turn to former soldier turned convict Snake Plissken to rescue him within twenty-four hours in exchange for a full pardon of his crimes.

Release Date

July 10, 1981

Runtime

99 minutes

Franchise(s)

Escape from New York

Budget

$6 million

Studio(s)

Embassy Pictures

Distributor(s)

Embassy Pictures

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