‘Escape From New York’ Remake Will Be Written (And Maybe Directed) By ‘Upgrade’ Filmmaker Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannellis keeping busy. The writer and filmmaker behindUpgradewas recently announced as the director of Universal’sInvisible Manremake. Now, he’s also closed a deal to write theEscape from New Yorkremake. There’s currently no deal in place for Whannell to direct theremake of theJohn Carpenterclassic, but the option is there if he wants it.THRbroke the news about Whannell writing theEscape From New Yorkremake, and I honestly don’t know how to feel about this. I’m of the firm opinion that no John Carpenter movie should ever be remade, because no filmmaker can come close to what he did with the same material. But I’malsoa big fan of Whannell’s work. Not only did he write and direct the incredibly entertainingUpgrade, he also penned the scripts forDead SilenceandInsidious.
The originalEscape From New York, released in 1981, was set in a future where Manhattan has been walled-off and turned into a massive high-security prison where criminal gangs run wild. That’s all well and good – until Air Force One is hijacked by terrorists, leading the President (Donald Pleasence) to eject via escape pod and end up in the heart of the prison city. The authorities send former Special Forces solider and current criminal Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) in to rescue him. It’s one of Carpenter’s best films, filled with iconic moments, gritty and dark cinematography courtesy of Dean Cundey, and a killer performance from Russell. Carpenter later followedEscape From New Yorkup with the cheesy but entertainingEscape From L.A.
A potentialEscape From New Yorkremake has been knocking around for a while. At one point, Robert Rodriguez was attached to direct, with a script fromLuthercreator Neil Cross. Nothing personal against Rodriguez, but I’m glad that never happened.
As for Whannell’s approach, THR says the writer is “kickstartingEscapewith a new vision for the project that sources say will retain elements of the original but bring new ideas to the table. One of Whannell’s goals is to avoid the bloated tentpole remake path that afflicted the reboots of other 1980s-era movies such asRobocopandTotal Recall.” That’s promising, and I have faith that Whannell will actually put some thought, and heart, into this material. But I still can’t help but cringe at the idea of anyone remaking a Carpenter movie.
The big question here is: who do you get to snap on Snake Plissken’s (and Kurt Russell’s) eyepatch? My suggestion, obvious as it may be, is Russell’s son, Wyatt Russell. Having just watchedOverlord, I can attest to the fact that the younger Russell can do a pretty spot-on imitation of his dad. But that might not be what Whannell is looking for.
