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Cast your mind all the way back to 2019 and you may remember that Leigh Whannell was writing a remake of John Carpenter‘s 1981 sci-fi action classic Escape from New York – so where is it? TheWolf Man director has finally given an update.
Starring Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau and Harry Dean Stanton, Carpenter’s cult classic followed Snake Plissken (Russell), an ex-soldier turned convict, sent to Manhattan, now a maximum security prison, to rescue the stranded US President.
Speaking with ComicBook.com about Wolf Man, which releases in theaters on January 31, Whannell was asked about the planned Escape from New York reboot, giving the following update:
It’s so funny, with the movie industry, projects can die for various reasons. It can be something as simple as, ‘Oh, we lost the rights,’ it could be something like I’m just not gelling with the producers […]
I feel like the projects that do come to life are almost accidents. Like, ‘Oh, this one actually happened.’ So I think, for now, Escape from New York, if it came back around, I’d think about it, but for now, it’s not happening.
So there you have it, folks. For now, at least, it looks like there will be no Whannell-helmed Escape from New York, but never say never.
You may also remember that, in 2022, Radio Silence aka Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Ready or Not, Scream, Abigail) were attached to direct an Escape from New York reboot, but ultimately ended up exiting the project due to scheduling conflicts and rights issues.
Before them, Robert Rodriguez (Once Upon a Time in Mexico, From Dusk till Dawn) was also attached. Alas, clearly this reiteration didn’t end up going ahead either.
Remaking a classic like Escape from New York is risky business for even the most beloved of directors, so it’s not really a huge surprise that any reboot hasn’t yet come to fruition. We’ll of course bring you any updates if the Escape from New York situation changes.
