The return of Snake Plissken in a reboot ofEscape from New Yorkhas been teased and tossed around for a number of years. Earlier this year, creator of the franchise John Carpenter even suggested that discussions had been had, but was not at all certain that it would lead to anything. NowDeadlinehas reported thatRadio Silencewill be helming the reboot for 20th Century Studios, with Carpenter acting as executive producer on the movie.
Radio Silence consists of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Chad Villella, and Tyler Gillett, the team behind the revival of theScreamfranchise for Paramount. With the trio having completed work on the next installment ofScream 6,there is every possibility thatEscape from New Yorkcould be one of their next projects.
There are currently not details about whether the movie will be a straight reboot, or some kind of legacy sequel to the original movies. Kicking off withEscape from New Yorkin 1981, the franchise features Kurt Russell in the role of Snake Plissken, an anti-hero in a dystopian world where New York and Los Angeles have been converted into maximum security prisons. Russell returned to the role in1996’sEscape from L.A.,but the lackluster box office of the sequel saw the franchise, and other proposed sequels, scrapped.
While Carpenter has previously hinted that he believes there are more Snake Plissken stories to be told, it seems that the franchise may be about to go down the rinse-and-repeat route instead. This may work in reviving the franchise, or could simply make sure that any future escapes are impossible.
Related:John Carpenter Thinks Escape from New York Franchise Has Two More Snake Plissken Stories
Would Kurt Russell Return As Snake Plissken?
Although John Carpenter has spoken about how close Kurt Russell is to the character of Snake Plissken, the actor himself has previously ruled himself out of any sequels. However, Carpenter has already floated the idea of keeping the role in the Russell family, withFalcon and the Winter SoldierstarWyatt Russell taking over the roleof Snake from his father.
Back in February, Leigh Whannell was on board to write a potential remake ofEscape from New York, and he suggested that bringing in Wyatt Russell was the perfect way to get fans on board if Kurt Russell was putting himself out of the running. He said at the time:
“[Casting Wyatt Russell] seems like the obvious thing to win the fans over. It’s funny, I’ve been so busy working on this film where I haven’t had time to circle back around on that project. Sometimes these press releases go out before you’re ready, you’re like, ‘Don’t tell the world!’ I don’t actually know, I really don’t. That is an iconic character and I think that Snake Plissken is a part of people’s childhood and their adolescence. It’s near and dear to them. So I would tread very carefully with that.”
With today’s report suggesting that the hunt for a writer for the new reboot is currently underway, it looks like Whannell is out, but whether Wyatt Russell could still be part of the plan is something that we will have to wait to find out.
