It looks as though Escape From New York is headed back to our screens… as Fox nabs the rights to produce an all-new remake.
Kurt Russell starred in the 1981 sci-fi classic as Snake Plissken – a wise-cracking, hardened criminal tasked with bringing the President of the United States to safety after Airforce One crash lands in Manhattan (now a maximum security prison). And it looks as though Fox is planning a return to this dystopian future.
According to The Wrap, it looks as though 20th Century Fox has just acquired the rights to Escape From New York and they’re keen to film a remake.
“Twentieth Century Fox has obtained the rights to John Carpenter‘s 1981 cult-classic ‘Escape From New York’ and intends to remake the film,” they revealed. “Studiocanal owned the rights to the film, which had several suitors, and was won by Fox’s Mike Ireland on the back of the studio’s competitive bid.”
John Carpenter – creator of the original and writer of the likes of The Thing and Halloween – will return as executive producer. But as for writers and directors, it looks as though it’s just too early to tell.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first follow up to Escape From New York after the rather less-original Escape from L.A. – a film which essentially recycled the plot from the first film in a different location.
Although the sequel wasn’t well received, it looks as though there’s already a lot more enthusiasm for the upcoming remake. But will it tackle similar politically-based issues or will it go off in an entirely new direction?
I can’t help thinking that yet-another film with the same plot isn’t going to go down well with the fans… so Fox will have to bring something new to the table if they want to succeed. Will it prove to be as successful as the original? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
But it won’t be as bad as Escape From L.A.
Are you excited to see the return of Escape From New York? Who would you like to see as Snake Plissken? Let us know in the comments below…
