I don’t know if horror writer/director icon John Carpenter should be flattered or upset because most of his classic cult films are being remade, some for the good (Assault on Precinct 13) and some for the bad (The Fog, Halloween). A look at his IMDB page shows a reference to a They Live remake due out in 2011 but there hasn’t been any news on that for a few months.
A couple of days ago the news dropped that his cult classic Kurt Russell horror film The Thing was getting a prequel and now we find out that his other Russell movie Escape from New York is going to be remade.
That’s right; Mister Eye Patch himself, Snake Plissken, is getting the remake treatment by New Line Cinema. They hired Wall Street re-write scribe Allan Loeb to work his re-write skills on David Kajganich’s first script for Escape from New York and according to NY Mag he “nailed the humor of Plissken without slipping into camp.” Well that’s good to hear because nothing would kill this remake quicker than a campy man wearing an eye patch. It would be like a futuristic pirate movie with bad one liners.
The first movie had New York City hit hard by destruction and turned over to the worst of the worst criminals. After a plane carrying the President of the United States crashed in the crime ridden metropolis, only one man is skilled enough to break in and rescue him from the place that no one breaks out – my man Snake Plissken!
So what has the studio changed in the story? Well for one, there is far less destruction in this version to save money. NYC will still be recognizable by its buildings and surroundings but the city has been abandoned because of the radiation from a dirty bomb that was set off outside the city limits. Another thing that was changed was the gender of the person Snake is rescuing. Loeb thought this would allow for more witty banter between the two. Also, the police are no longer in control of the prison but rather a privately run corporation although they will still have their headquarters in The Statue of Liberty.
Says a source close to the project via NY Mag:
“It is not a disaster movie. It is an exposé of an ecosystem, if you put a huge wall around Manhattan and then dropped in the most effed-up, dangerous criminals on Earth.”
So what won’t change about the film? Everything having to do with Snake, that’s what! New Line signed a contract with Carpenter that stated that Plissken “must be called Snake, must wear an eye patch and must always be a bad-ass!” OK, so how cool is that? At least Carpenter made sure that one of his coolest characters ever will remain that way. No designer clothes wearing, tree hugging, drum circle playing, hemp wearing, girl friend feet rubbing, sissy man here folks. I promise you, that because of Carpenter’s smart thinking, we won’t see Plissken watching Sex in the City while eating a entire tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. With a name like Snake, he has to be bad-ass!
What do you think about the changes to the story for Escape from New York?
No release date for Escape from New York yet.
Follow me on Twitter @Walwus
Source: NY Mag, Sandwich John Films, Image courtsey of Image DB
Loading ...
won't be the same without the snake man…
This is not good news. Can't this generation just watch the original. Doesn't matter what they promised Carpenter he took the money and ran. Some pretty boy from Twilight or Vampire Diaries with a painted on scar will be your next snake. I have little faith in this turning out well. But thanks for the mention I just added Escape to my netflix queue. I could dig out that VHS copy somewhere in the basement, but then I'd have to find the darn machine down there also.
Ironically, I played Metal Gear Solid before seeing this movie, so I always think of MGS when I hear the name Plissken, even though both Solid Snake and Iroquois Pliskin were both inspired from this.
“But thanks for the mention I just added Escape to my netflix queue.”
Well at least some good will come out of this.
So this is the movie that inspired Metal Gear Solid? That's my favorite series of all time, yet I've never seen this movie. Would be interesting to see Kurt come back as Old Snake.
There are classic movies. Most of the time a remake is unneeded, and often times the final product is worse than the original, but there's still a chance a remake can be good.
And then there are classic characters. You can't remake those. Kurt Russel IS Snake Plissken. It's his defining role. No one else could ever pull it off like him. It doesn't matter how good the final product of this movie is, it's central character will be weaker than the original.
You want to make another movie featuring the character? Great, call up Russell and get him back for another go (Escape From Earth, anyone?). But don't recast him.
My god, I know movies haven't been around for too long but it seems like previous generations did not have to suffer through all these reboots and remakes. Another thing that's wrong with my generation I guess (no originality)
When will they get it? You cannot recreate the feeling and the look of these originals (THING, Escape…) with with your big name writers/directors and budget. Throwing money at a reboot/remake rarely works. It's not like Carpenter had a huge budget or amazing writers when he made these films. That's what's so special about them. New-age Hollywood will never recreate Snake or Mad Max.
Very discouraging.
I agree with you 100% on classic characters. That would be like recasting someone to play Tyler Durden or Jack Sparrow or Jason Bourne (which unfortunately might happen).
If you're gonna remake movies, make the ones that perhaps never had the finished product that the material required. But movies that have reached an iconic status? Leave them the hell alone! This is a ridiculous idea to remake! It's up there with current bad ideas like remaking Red Dawn! What's next? “Rebooting” Gone With The Wind? Pfft!
i hope they dicide to make a sequel instead of a remake. i dont hate remakes at all but a sequel would be better. but anyway im going to watch escape from new york right now.
Im skeptical of this, but I love the original so…
“No designer clothes wearing, tree hugging, drum circle playing, hemp wearing, girl friend feet rubbing, sissy man here folks. “
LOL
Am I wrong or did we not hear the same thing like a year and a half ago with Gerod Butler as Snake?
I'd rather see Escape From Hollywood. Everyone gets out successfully unless they are a suit who works for tinseltown. There's a mindless Shoot-em-up I'd pay good money for. (Did I just end that with a prepostion? Didn't mean to.)
Kurt Russel is still in good shape. I think they should just make another Snake movie with Kurt. Let's see a movie about one of his heist that he gets betrayed on and he goes looking for revenge or is on the run.
I was sitting here wracking my brain as to who could play Snake! Butler would be decent!
Though I agree with worminthegrass. Why not just bring back Russell?
100 % BULL$^*#!!! I don't want yet another remake, reboot, or whatever the heck you want to call it. NOBODY other than Kurt is Snake. Don't waste our time with this crap, but give us what we want and make The Escape From Cleveland that was hinted at for a prequel with someone who looks like a younger Kurt. Seriously, I'm going to start writing going to the theaters off, if we can't get something original being made….. What's next an Ice Pirates remake?????????
It was called Escape From L.A., but I get your point
I must admit,I wasn't a huge fan of the original,but the Snake character is a classic 80's character that shouldn't be messed with,along with a lot of other 80's classics.I will say this though,I would be very interested in an above mentioned They Live remake,as long as they get the two leads casted correctly.And they have to have that epic alley fight as well,or they might as well not even make the movie.
I must admit,I wasn't a huge fan of the original,but the Snake character is a classic 80's character that shouldn't be messed with,along with a lot of other 80's classics.I will say this though,I would be very interested in an above mentioned They Live remake,as long as they get the two leads casted correctly.And they have to have that epic alley fight as well,or they might as well not even make the movie.
YES ESCAPE FROM CLEVELAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The changes SUCK!
A female President?
(Why does everything have to be PC?)
Private security instead of a Government Police Force?
WEAK!
LESS destruction to NY to skimp on money?
Carpenter had A LOT less of a budget to work with than these idiots and he did just FINE!
“an exposé of an ecosystem”
REALLY????
Put THAT on your poster and see what your box office grosses are!!!