Zack Snyder Teases Kurt Russell's Replacement in 'Escape From New York' Reboot

Director Zack Snyder is developing multiple projects, including a 300 prequel series and a movie set in the world of UFC, but first on the docket is a reimagining of Escape from New York. Directed by John Carpenter, the dystopian action movie is regarded as one of the defining cult classics of the 1980s. It follows a special forces soldier who is sent to rescue the kidnapped President of the United States from insurgents. In a new interview, Snyder shared some details about his follow-up feature's premise and suggested that the story would be ripped from the headlines. Snyder most recently directed a passion project titled The Last Photograph, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Chatting with Josh Horowitz on the sidelines of the festival, Snyder was asked if he had found his Snake Plissken, to which he replied, "I may (have him already)." Asked if the character will retain the iconic look popularized by Kurt Russell in the original, Snyder said, "He better look like Snake. If he doesn't, I'm going to walk out." The filmmaker also admitted that Jeffrey Dean Morgan, with whom he worked on Watchmen and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, has sent him feelers pitching himself for the lead role. "Jeffrey's been hitting me up recently. Jeffrey's great. He's so strong," Snyder said, acknowledging the actor's resemblance to Snake, but stopping short of confirming whether he would have a role in the upcoming movie. Sharing details about the premise and milieu of the film, Snyder continued:

"The movie is going to be set in 1997. The war between the United States police force and the criminal elements takes place in 1981, which was the release date of the original movie. And the rest is pretty much Escape from New York. It’s the perfect combination of kitsch and camp. But it’s also satire. And we can make comments about government overreach; it’s all in the headlines. It’s current, in some ways."

Kurt Russell Does Have a Son Who Looks an Awful Lot Like Him

The original Escape from New York was released in 1981 to positive reviews. It now holds a 70% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, "It may not make the most of its ingenious dystopian premise, but Escape from New York remains a visually striking and thrilling sci-fi actioner, elevated by pitch-black humor and Kurt Russell's charismatically gruff Snake Plissken." The movie made around $50 million against a reported budget of $6 million, and Carpenter and Russell returned for a sequel titled Escape from L.A. The follow-up received mixed reviews and flopped at the box office, grossing around $42 million against a reported budget of $6 million. Snyder will likely reveal who has been cast as Snake in his reimagining, and lest it be forgotten, Russell does have a remarkably similar-looking son, after all.