Robert Rodriguez in Talks to Direct 'Escape From New York' Remake

By Dave McNary, Variety

Robert Rodriguez is in negotiations to direct the remake of John Carpenter’s iconic Escape From New York.

Fox is targeting summer for the start of production, with Michael Ireland overseeing the film. The project has been in the works at the studio since 2015, when Fox obtained the remake rights to Escape From New York, starring Kurt Russell as “Snake” Plissken. StudioCanal sold the rights to Fox, which topped several bids.

Carpenter will exec produce the reboot. Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman’s The Picture Company is also producing. Neil Cross, creator of the BBC crime series Luther, wrote the script.

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The original Escape From New York, released in 1981, took place in a dystopian 1997 Manhattan after it had been turned into a maximum security prison. The story centered on Plissken being recruited to rescue the U.S. president (played by Donald Pleasence) after the hijacked Air Force One crashes.

Russell also starred as Plissken in Carpenter’s 1996 sequel Escape From L.A., set in 2013.

Rodriguez is in post-production on Fox’s live-action movie version of Alita: Battle Angel with James Cameron and Jon Landau producing, and Rosa Salazar starring. Fox has set a July 20, 2018, release date.

Rodriguez’s directing credits include El Mariachi, Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City, and the Spy Kids films. The news about Escape from New York was first reported by The Tracking Board.