Escape from New York remake!

According to THIS article in New York Magazine, a remake to the classic 1981 John Carpenter film Escape from New York is officially underway. I guess this project, in various incarnations, has been in the making for sometime. A couple years back there was talk of casting Gerard Butler as Snake Plissken but, for a variety of reasons, that project fell apart.

I have mixed emotions regarding this remake. I absolutely love John Carpenter's original film. Kurt Russel's Snake Plissken is the ultimate archetypal badass anti-hero. I once had a ball-python named Kurt Russel (I know, best name ever) but he died horribly of a degenerative disease when he was little more than a wee hatchling, this is something his namesake never would have allowed to happen. The real Kurt/Snake would have defeated the disease by force. Somehow.

That's how awesome he is. 

I'm optimistic about this movie being remade for two reasons. First, much like Clash of the Titans, this film hasn't aged so well, it will be cool to see how they bring this story into the 21st century. Secondly, I find the following quote, from the article linked to above, to be reassuring:

New Line had to sign a contract with John Carpenter stipulating, among other things, that Plissken "must be called 'Snake'"; "must wear an eye patch"; and that he would — and we're not making this up — "always be a 'badass.'

Awesome. I'm glad to see that Carpenter has an interest in protecting his creation, instead of just taking a paycheck and walking away.  

3 / 5 on the Anticipation Meter