Zack Snyder to Remake John Carpenter's 1981 Sci-Fi Classic

Zack Snyder has signed on to write and direct a reimagining of Escape from New York. The Picture Company partners Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman are attached as producers through a deal with StudioCanal, and John Carpenter is listed as a producer because he holds the rights to the property.

Snyder will also produce under his Stone Quarry banner with Deborah Snyder and Wesley Coller, and the intent is for the remake to be released in theaters, though the package is being shopped to both streamers and theatrical distributors. The original Escape from New York, directed by John Carpenter, was released May 23, 1981, and runs 99 minutes.

The dystopian action film paired Carpenter with Kurt Russell, whose Snake Plissken—complete with an eyepatch and snake tattoo—became an icon of 1980s action cinema. Working with a small production budget, Carpenter's team created a dark, enclosed New York where Snake is sent to rescue the President of the United States, who has been taken hostage in the city turned prison.

United States, New York

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