It seems just one badass isn’t enough to break into a futuristic city-turned-prison. Producer Joel Silver is looking to put a team together to rescue the President for the long-gestating remake of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. John Carpenter’s original saw one-eyed mercenary Snake Plissken drafted involuntarily by authorities to prise the leader of the free world from the clutches of maniacs who were holding him hostage after his plane crashed in Manhattan. Set in the dizzying futurescape of 1997, the movie showcased Kurt Russell as Snake, doing his best Clint Eastwood impression.
Reportedly inspired by the success of AVENGERS ASSEMBLE and other comic book blockbusters with ensemble casts, Silver will take the focus off a lone antihero and form a posse. This will feature beefed-up versions of characters Cabbie and Brain, alongside fresh creations Mina (a journalist) and Gareth (a security guard). Yes that’s right. There’s going to be someone in ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK called Gareth. The simple formula of Carpenter’s cult classic, as well as its belated follow-up ESCAPE FROM LA, is to be ditched for a higher cast count and hopefully a bigger box office.
Whilst still “in development” this appears to be the direction the film will go in and has naturally led to speculation as to who is going to fill Russell’s malodorous boots. Charlie Hunnam, Jon Bernthal and even Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens are supposedly in the frame. Bearing in mind Russell’s negative reaction to the involvement of Brit Gerard Butler in a former incarnation of the remake, I can only imagine how far he’s going to spit out his coffee at the prospect of Stevens taking the assignment.
Source: TheWrap
