Escape from New York remake is on again, with Joel Silver producing

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK remake? Heard you were dead…

Yes, it’s true. Deadline.com is reporting that Joel Silver and Studio Canal are rebooting John Carpenter’s 1981 cult classic ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. Not only that, it’s an origin story! And the beginning of a trilogy!

According to the site, “Silver is planning an entirely new take on the material. The goal is to turn it into a trilogy, starting with an origin story in a fashion similar to the way Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes restarted that franchise.”

You’ll recall that ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK has been in Hollywood’s remake crosshairs for years; first in 2007, when Gerard Butler and Len Wiseman were attached. Then Wiseman exited and was replaced by Breck Eisner (THE CRAZIES). In July of 2011, New Line Cinema, which held the rights up until that point, let them lapse, effectively killing the project. Leaving it up to Silver and Studio Canal to start fresh.

How they’ll be able to make it an “origin story” while also telling the tale of Snake’s trip inside Manhattan remains to be seen.

The synopsis for the original, which starred Kurt Russell as the eye-patch-wearing anti-hero Snake Plisskin:

In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted to a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam. But when the U.S. President crash-lands inside, only one man can bring him back: notorious outlaw and former Special Forces war hero Snake Plissken. But time is short: in 24 hours, an explosive device implanted in his neck will end Snake’s mission and his life unless he succeeds!

The remake is currently searching for a writer.

ESCAPE’s Adrienne Barbeau… who can never be replaced