Robert Rodriguez is going to direct Escape From New York

A remake for John Carpenter’s Escape from New York has been in the works for years. I think we first reported on it back in 2010. I do love the original film and Kurt Russell was brilliant as Snake Plissken. 

Since then there have been various re-writes, different actors attached or rumoured to be playing Snake and it all generally seemed to be up in the air.

Then came word that Luther’s Neil Cross was writing a new script and Fox had the rights to get it going. it is apparently going to be a prequel that sets up a trilogy leading in to the original film, that means New York City isn’t yet a high security prison.

Carpenter is involved as an executive producer on the remake, with Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman’s The Picture Company are also producing.

As for Snake, the most recent rumours had Charlie Hunnam, Jon Bernthal and Dan Stevens being considered for the role, but who knows if that is still the case.

The latest news has Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, Machete, Spy Kids) set to direct the film. Rodriguez has recently finished directing Alita: Battle Angel for Fox, the film based on Yukito Kishiro’s manga graphic novels that was written by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis.

I’ve no problem with remakes, but I feel they’re going to have to really do something a bit different for this one. The fact Cross is writing the script makes me feel it could work and Rodriguez has done good action sequences for some of his films. I wouldn’t have picked him for this, but maybe he will do great things with it. I’m just not feeling it at the moment. Maybe once we know who will be playing Snake I will have a better handle on the way they will be going with it.

How do you feel about Rodriguez directing the new film? Who would you like to see play Snake?

Source: Deadline