CAA is shopping a remake of John Carpenter’s 1981 action classic Escape From New York with 300 star Gerard Butler attached to star.
Butler would play Snake Plissken, the one-eyed convict who must rescue the President of the United States from an inescapable maximum security prison formerly known as Manhattan. The film was set in a dystopian then-future 1997. Kurt Russell originated the role. The 1996 sequel Escape to L.A. was not as popular.
According to Variety, several studios are battling to make the project. A deal is expected to be made this week.
Black Hawk Down scribe Ken Nolan writing the screenplay.
I’m not sure what to think of this. When I re-watched the film a few months back, I thought to myself: “This could make a great big budget hollywood remake.” But who knows. However, I would rather see someone like The Rock or Vin Diesel play Plissken. I think it all depends on the director. This would be perfect for Michael Bay.
Did You Know: Snake Plissken was the inspiration for Solid Snake, hero of the Metal Gear series, and the plot was also the inspiration for Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (sneak into an indomitable fortress to rescue a VIP and an important tape/cartridge that determines the fate of the world). Furthermore, in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Solid Snake goes by the alias of Iroquois Pliskin. Metal Gear also uses the same font in its logo for the first game as Escape From New York.
March 14th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Did you also know Peter that my father is good friends with the “real” Snake Plissken? No joke. One of my dad’s college buddies name is Larry Plissken, and his nickname ‘Snake’ was the basis for the now famous name.
March 15th, 2007 at 6:22 am
Hey Mg , thats cool about the snake name origin. Excited about the prospects of the escape remake, there will really only be one real snake, but to remake it would bring in a new generation of fans to see escapes history and characters. By the way can you ask your dad to ask the real snake is he would approve of a remake to escape? thanks.
March 20th, 2007 at 4:48 am
snake is fictional you fucking nubs!
March 23rd, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Seems to me Kurt Russell has been bitten by the wee green-eyed monster. I’m sorry but he doesn’t OWN the role.
October 4th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Rick Weber, no one OWNS a character, but when an actor first portrays a character, especially one such as Snake Plissken, people identify that character with that actor. Both John Carpenter as well as Kurt Russell both met their future/ex wives on that film, and it was the first film that broke Kurt Russell out of the “Disneyboy” roles that he had been in before then. The movie is 31 years old, it takes place in the “future” of 1997, 10 years ago. It holds up today and is being remade because of what a great film it is, due greatly to Kurt Russell. So yeah, I think he has the right to feel he “owns” the role.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
snake plissken is actually a real person
i read that snake plissken was a bully at john carpenter’s high skl, which is probs the same guy ur dad knows
so dere is a real snake plissken. jus not as kl as the one from mgs series (cnt w8 for mgs4 :P) or kurt russell
i wud like to c the remake, i jus dont fink gerard butler will have the same look or sounds of voice.. but we will see… hopefully for the mgs movie next year.. christian bale will be snake.. he can look identical to the character.