Man of Steel and 300 Director Zack Snyder has reportedly signed on to write and direct an Escape from New York remake.
The Hollywood Reporter reported on the reimagining of John Carpenter’s influential dystopian action movie today. Its sources said the project is being put together with the intention of eventually seeing it released in theaters.
The Escape from New York remake seems to be in its early stages, with the site saying that it will be “taken out to market” in the coming weeks. Although it’s unclear how deep into the writing process Snyder is, Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will produce via their overall deal with IP owner StudioCanal. The Stone Quarry’s Snyder, Deborah Snyder, and Wesley Coller will also produce, with Carpenter also involved as an executive producer.
The original Escape from New York tells the story of eyepatch-wearing action anti-hero Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) and premiered in 1981. Carpenter and Russell returned for a sequel, Escape from L.A., in 1996, but the franchise has mostly remained dormant since.
Despite remaining relatively quiet since the ’90s, the Escape from New York name – and its undeniable influence on Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series – has carried it through to 2026, where it remains a cult-classic ’80s property. It’s because of this that a remake has been in some form of development since the 2000s.
Nothing’s ever managed to come to fruition despite rumors of potential Snake Plissken castings popping up through the years. Russell even went on to question the purpose of a potential remake in 2015. However, the pieces for an Escape from New York remake started to fall into place when reports of Snake Plissken’s return started to crop up in 2022. The Hollywood Reporter then mentioned that StudioCanal was moving full speed ahead on the project in April of this year.
Snyder’s involvement as director and writer marks the most progress the Escape from New York remake has seen in a decade. While plot details remain a mystery for now, The Hollywood Reporter’s sources say the Snyderverse mastermind “aims to make a more down and dirty movie” with “plenty” of practical effects.
When (or if) Escape from New York makes a comeback, don’t expect Snake Plissken to be played by Russell’s actor son, Wyatt Russell. For more, you can see which video games Carpenter says are his favorites.
Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
