When you hear that a remake of Escape From New York is in the works, you get the sense that Hollywood picks its remakes at random by just throwing darts at a giant board plastered with the names of iconic movies. John Carpenter's sci-fi classic is without a doubt one of the best and most inspired films of the '80s, but that is truly where it belongs: in the '80s. There's nothing about Escape From New York that yells "remake," and yet... The original flick, you'll remember, had Kurt Russell's badass anti-hero Snake Plissken (Metal Gear Solid fans rejoice!) sent on a dangerous mission to rescue the President of the United States from a nightmarish future New York City which has been transformed into a giant prison. It's the sort of concept that young, hack directors love to "modernise." A remake has been in the works since 2007, and thankfully - time after time - the project found itself stalling (Gerard Butler was once in talks to play Snake, which tells you just how long this thing has been gestating - since when was Gerard Butler a viable star?). As of 2015, though, the project is still being planned by 20th Century Fox. Even with the recent addition of Neil Cross on writing duties (he penned TV's excellent Luther), there's nothing that can convince this is a good idea. Call it quits, Hollywood.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
