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Crazies Director Breck Eisner to Helm Escape from New York

by Ethan Anderton
April 23, 2010

After going through development with other directors like Len Wiseman and Brett Ratner, it looks like the Escape from New York remake finally has some sturdy legs. Along with Allan Loeb's re-energizing draft of the script, Heat Vision reports that Breck Eisner, who recently directed the intense horror/action flick The Crazies, is in negotiations to direct the film. The updated story mixes an origin story for anti-hero Snake Plissken and merged it with the story of the 1981 original. All that remains to be seen is exactly who will step into Snake's boots, who is actually contractually obligated to always wear and eye patch and be a bad-ass.

This choice is a pretty smart one to me, since Eisner did a good job with apocalyptic style action and sets with The Crazies with a budget of only $20 million. And since the most recent draft of the script from Loeb was praised so much for finding a cheap way to make Manhattan a giant prison, a guy who knows how to spend his budget wisely is always good. While some find this remake wholly unnecessary, and I can't say I really have a good reason to disagree with them, if Carpenter's flick is going to be re-made, at least its got some good talent behind the camera so far (anything is better than Brett Ratner). Maybe Eisner can bring The Crazies star Timothy Olyphant to play Snake Plissken, because that doesn't sound bad to me. You?

Filed under Movie News, Opinions

From around the web:

Antioch

I really don't think Kurt Russell is too old to come back as Snake. As a remake, not a sequel, they would just have to draw out the origin story and make him a little older by the time he gets stranded on New York. It could totally work. I think I'll be dissapointed with anyone else.
Darunia

Remakes of good movies are always unnecessary. Remakes of movies were kinda bad because of some problems, now those are worth remaking them, and making them good.
http://www.goseetalk.com Marc

I thought Breck Eisner was supposed to do Flash Gordon. Ethan, I like your idea of Olyphant as Plisken, but if it were me, I would love to see Olyphant (who is just awesome) in something more career defining: http://goseetalk.com/2010/04/22/perfect-suggestion-for-a-franchise-reboot/ Still I think Snake worked well in the time it was made. Carpenter had lighting in a bottle with Escape from New York. If we look at that "Assault on Precinct 13" remake and what a mess it was, why would anyone even think about remaking this cult classic??
http://twitter.com/gimmesumsuga Mathieu

Remember the days when heroes arrived on the screen fully-formed, and directors didn't think we needed to know what our protagonists used to eat for breakfast when they were 5 in order for us to relate to them? What's with all the frickin' origin stories?!
Cody w

Yeah I really agree with the Olyphant suggestion......and that article #3 posted would be pretty sweet too. Olyphants such a good bad-ass, but hes a good, good guy bad-ass not bad guy bad-ass. Hes also a very flexible actor, watch Deadwood, than High life than watch the crazies there 3 totally different archetypes and he does them all well. Not to mention hes half the reason Justified is any good.....any other actor it wouldn't of been right. I just dont know about the idea as a whole.....I wasnt exactly part of the 'cult' who liked that original piece of trash.
http://www.flicksandbits.com ozzie memz

another 80's movie remake
Xerxex

Eisner and Olyphant work well together. The Crazies was very good, eventhough it didn't have to work very hard the original was pretty bad. I want Olyphant to be Snake Plissken!
Cmurder

Now i'm not saying i'm all for this, but somehow I can't stop picturing "The Rock" as being cast for Snake.
Zantorian

I say... Bring Back Kurt Russell... Make an Avatar of Snake Plissken with Kurt Russell...bam you got Snake Plissken all over again. In fact, I don't know why they don't do that with EVERY Franchise hero like: Arnold's Terminator Bruce Lee Rocky Balboa The Lord of the Rings Characters You ain't seen 'that' part of Cameron's Movie tech yet...but it will be coming.
D

Yeah! Another remake of one of my favorite movies for some hack to ruin. Go hollywood......
Xerxex

D did you see The Crazies? It was awesome! Eisner is a pretty good director.
...........

@4 No Homo But I Think I Love You Man.lol That's exactly what I've been trying to tell everyone. As far as origins go either have other characters hint at it or let our imaginations do all the work because I'm sure thats far better than what writers can come up with. And 2 is right let me get some remakes of crap. I'm still waiting on the remake of STEEL without Shaq.
twittwit

Jake Gyllenhaal for Snake.
tommyturner

There is ONLY one Plissken and that is Kurt Russell. But......just to be a jerk.......they should remake it with the Jonas Brothers and have Snake, Scorpion, and Spider Plissken.
D

In 3D!
http://sorcerersworkshop.org/ Sorcerer Mickey

Could we please put an end to using that image of Snake Plissken every time you run an "Escape From New York" article? Using that image from the advance German poster is just wrong: wrong gun, wrong tattoo, wrong pants. If you published a picture of Superman or Iron Man or some anime character with costume errors, you'd hear no end of fanboy outcry, so let's see Snake with his trademark monochromatic urban camouflage pants. Please?
http://www.firstshowing.net Ethan Anderton

@ Sorcerer Mickey, That picture is actually from a recent DVD cover of the flick that was released in the US too.