Zack Snyder is a man who has a lot on his plate, and when remakes start floating around the conversation, it’s hard not to mention his 2004 take on George A. Romero‘s DAWN OF THE DEAD. We personally dug the film a lot, and now it seems the director has set his sights on ol’ Snake Plissken and the John Carpenter universe, as ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is something he is actively working on. The official announcement that Snyder would be tackling the dystopian classic took place earlier this year, and now the director is finally giving us some small insights into what he plans on doing with ol’ Snake.
The big question with any remake of a Carpenter classic is pretty simple: How much are you actually going to change?
Snyder appears to be taking a fairly direct approach. While speaking with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the filmmaker explained that his version will still be set in 1997, with the story looking at the conflict between the United States Police Force and criminal elements from the perspective of 1981.
Interestingly, Snyder is also planning to use the original film’s release date as part of the timeline, setting his version on July 9, 1981, the same date the 1981 movie hit theaters.
“The rest is pretty much Escape from New York,” Snyder said.
That should be music to the ears of Carpenter fans who have watched Hollywood spend years trying to figure out what exactly to do with this property. Snyder clearly sees plenty of value in what Carpenter created the first time around, particularly the movie’s mixture of strange humor, camp and political satire.
And considering how much of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK revolves around government control, law enforcement and a United States that has essentially turned Manhattan into one giant prison, Snyder doesn’t think those ideas have become any less relevant.
“Talk about a movie that’s the perfect combination of kitsch and camp,” Snyder said. “It’s all the things, that’s why I love it.”
He also pointed to the film’s satirical side, noting that its ideas about government overreach and the People’s Liberation Front of America can still connect with modern audiences.
Of course, there is another issue that has been hanging over this remake since it was announced: Snake Plissken.
Kurt Russell’s performance is so closely tied to the character that whoever steps into the eyepatch is going to have a very tall order. Snyder has apparently already given some thought to who could take on the role, although don’t expect him to spill the beans just yet. When asked whether he has an actor in mind, Snyder simply answered, “I may.” When asked if the mystery actor is someone he has worked with before, he wasn’t giving anything away.
“I’m not going to say.”
Fair enough. Snyder did offer one pretty important requirement for whoever eventually gets the job, though.
“He better look like Snake, or I’ll walk out.”
Yeah, that’s a great place to start things off there Zack.
There have been several attempts over the years to get another Escape from New York project moving, with filmmakers including Robert Rodriguez, Leigh Whannell and Radio Silence previously connected to different versions of the property. Wyatt Russell, Kurt Russell’s son, has also been suggested by fans as a potential successor to his father’s Snake, although he has previously dismissed the idea.
For now, Snyder is keeping the identity of his potential Snake under wraps, but his comments suggest that his version isn’t looking to throw out everything that made Carpenter’s original such a cult favorite. The setting, basic concept and attitude appear to be staying familiar, which leaves one major question hanging over the project.
Does the eye patch go on the left or right eye?