John Carpenter & Kurt Russell almost made Escape from Earth

February 12th 2019, 5:00pm

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Leigh Whannell has been hired to write the new version of John Carpenter's 80's action classic ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. And today we have a fun bit of trivia for you guys. Film School Rejects just put out there that following ESCAPE FROM LA, Carpenter and Kurt Russell wanted to make another Snake Plissken movie. And this time Snake would have been trying to ESCAPE FROM EARTH. The project obviously died over the years, but Carpenter did confirm to Ain't It Cool back in 2006 that the project was an idea he had years ago. Specifically, Carpenter told the site:

John Carpenter:

Escape from Earth is an idea we had several years ago, but it never really got any further than that.

The story would have taken place

After the events of Escape from LA, which saw Snake bring an end to electricity in order to teach humanity a lesson. The second sequel would have seen Snake navigate this new world, which had naturally descended into war and chaos as a result of his actions. With Armageddon on the horizon, Snake’s goal was to make a break from his home planet before the end of days arrived.

How bad do you still want to see Russell and Carpenter reteam for ESCAPE FROM EARTH? I know I'd still buy a ticket as fast as I could. And I personally think Carpenter and Russell still have it in them for one more great escape. What do you think? Let us know below!

ESCAPE FROM LA synopsis:

In 2013, the United States president (Cliff Robertson) is exiling all citizens who don't conform to his hyper-conservative views to Los Angeles, which became an island after a huge earthquake. But, when the president's daughter nabs the detonator to her dad's apocalyptic weapon and sneaks into L.A. to be with the rebel leader she loves, the government taps commando-turned-crook Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to retrieve the young woman. And, if he doesn't succeed quickly, he'll be executed.

ESCAPE FROM LA was directed by Carpenter from a screenplay he co-wrote along with Debra Hill and Kurt Russell based on characters created by Carpenter and Nick Castle. Hill and Russell produced and the movie co-starred Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, and Cliff Robertson.