By Travis Johnson
Deadline is reporting that Mariachi maestro Robert Rodriguez has signed on the dotted line – and presumably injected the microscopic bombs – to usher in a remake of John Carpenter’s iconic 1981 SF actioner, Escape From New York. The From Dusk til Dawn director will most likely get cracking once he’s finished putting the finishing touches on manga adaptation, Battle Angel Alita, which has reportedly just finished up principal photography. Remember when James Cameron was gonna do that one?
For EFNY virgins (c’mon, folks, lift your game) the original is set in the dark future of 1997, when Manhattan Island has been walled off and is used as the US’s only maximum security prison. When the president’s plane crashes inside, one-eyed ex-special forces badass Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell, iconic) is sent in on a rescue mission. It’s a stone cold classic, cool and cynical as hell, and boasts a spectacular cast of B-grade heroes and character actors: Donald Pleasance, Harry Dean Stanton, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, and Isaac Hayes as the Duke of New York.
That doesn’t mean a remake couldn’t work; if nothing else, the pacing of the original is a bit sluggish for modern audiences. The rights have bounced around for years now, and various bods have been attached at one time or another – Gerard Butler was gonna be Snake at one point – but this is the most forward movement we’ve seen in a while.
Robert Rodriguez, though…
Look, here’s the thing: if this was Desperado or Sin City era Rodriguez, we’d be losing our minds – that’s a guy who should be making a Snake Plissken movie. But this is post-Grindhouse RR, and that dude made Machete Kills and A Dame to Kill For – we’re a bit doubtful about him.
Still, maybe Battle Angel Alita is a work of kick-ass genius and Rodriguez will really bring the thunder on this one. We can only hope.
