ROTTEN TOMATOES: "300" Star Butler to Star in "Escape from New York" Remake

"300" Star Butler to Star in "Escape from New York" Remake

by Jeff Giles | March 14, 2007

The critical response to "300" has been divided, but that hasn't stopped moviegoers from turning out to see it en masse -- which means this is a pretty good time for "300" star Gerard Butler to announce his next project. Snake Plissken fans, rejoice: Butler has signed on to do a remake of John Carpenter's 1981 classic, "Escape from New York."

The original, as you very well might recall, takes place in a dystopian future in which crime has become such a problem that the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a maximum-security prison; when the president's plane crashes on the island, he's taken captive by the prisoners, and the one-eyed anti-hero Snake Plikssen -- played with career-defining panache by Kurt Russell -- has 22 hours to rescue him. The film was a hit, so of course it spawned a sequel, 1996's "Escape from L.A.," which no one will remake, ever.

The movie doesn't have a studio attached yet -- it's being shopped by Butler's agents at CAA -- but Neal Moritz is set to produce, and Ken Nolan has agreed to write the screenplay; Russell, presumably, is waiting to hear whether Butler has any interest in putting a fresh coat of paint on his 1992 masterpiece, "Captain Ron."

Source: Variety

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(1-20 of 25 posts) | Reply

Reeven writes:
on Mar 14 2007 01:00 PM

I heard about this and hoped to God it was a joke.

(Reply to this)

dsence writes:
on Mar 14 2007 02:30 PM

you know, thats just like, your opinion, man.

(Reply to this)

mojodaddy writes:
on Mar 14 2007 03:09 PM

It might be cool. I hate it when people are nay-saying a movie from the very first stages. Most did it with Transformers, but it's looking to turn out awesome now. I'd probably give this a go in theaters.

(Reply to this)

donkeytron writes:
on Mar 14 2007 03:22 PM

They need to stop remaking the GOOD Carpenter movies and try remaking ones that really need a remake. Is it too soon to remake Ghosts of Mars?

(Reply to this)

GreenBastard writes:
on Mar 14 2007 03:24 PM

Ah, I'd watch it. Not excited though.

(Reply to this)

clamman27 writes:
on Mar 14 2007 05:27 PM

Give me a freaking break. First of all, Butler is NOT Snake. Not by a long short. He's a fine actor, but even fine actors can be miscast.

Escape from NY is NOT a movie that anyone should be thinking of remaking. Carpenter's early films are classics and work just as they are. Look at what they did to the Fog for pity's sake. Like donkey said, enough with remaking Carpenter's movies that work already. Why not tackle the ones that missed the mark? Isn't that the supposed point of remakes? At least, it should be. Not to take something that worked, flush it down the toilet until it stops up the toilet, and then release the pile of crap that floats in the bowl.

I pray to god this one either falls apart, finds a new lead actor, or I wake up tomorrow and find this was all a bad bad dream...

(Reply to this)

TomasSPAGHetti writes:
on Mar 14 2007 06:08 PM

I seriously doubt Gerard Butler filling Kurt Russels shoes as Snake. Might as well go ahead and remake Big Trouble in Little China while you're at it.

(Reply to this)

lrm8 writes:
on Mar 14 2007 06:13 PM

people must be on shrooms to think this is a good idea.

(Reply to this)

clamman27 writes:
on Mar 14 2007 09:10 PM

In reply to this comment (#858100)
People would need to be on shrooms to see an Escape from NY remake with Gerard Butler as Snake.

(Reply to this)

JRotten9802 writes:
on Mar 14 2007 09:57 PM

[b]Blasphemy[/b]
What have we done to deserve this?

(Reply to this)

Pilgermann writes:
on Mar 14 2007 10:05 PM

Oh no! :(

(Reply to this)

GreenBastard writes:
on Mar 14 2007 11:13 PM

SHIT.

(Reply to this)

okito writes:
on Mar 15 2007 05:12 AM

In reply to this comment (#858096)
[b]fucking right Bro.[/b]
i Agree with that a hundred per cent, man they should quit remaking great movies.and I mean It's not that it may not turn up great or anything it's just ... remake the wooorrrsssst ones. we have 100 top movies that sucked big time on this website, "worst of the worst" why not start there and chose few titles?

(Reply to this)

Sadistik writes:
on Mar 15 2007 06:21 AM

[b]jeez[/b]
STOP THE FUCKING REMAKES. ENOUGH ALREADY.

(Reply to this)

Baccus83 writes:
on Mar 15 2007 07:05 AM

[b]Good Luck[/b]
The remakes aren't going to stop until the majority of American Teenagers have seen the originals. That being said, I know a lot of teenagers who haven't seen the original "Escape From New York," and don't want to.

It's a pity that the people who really care about film are the ones who get slighted by this constant mass of remakes. But that's just how it is, the glut of America could care less - anything made before they were born doesn't matter.

(Reply to this)

FILMCZY writes:
on Mar 15 2007 07:26 AM

Forget New York. How about a "reimagining": ESCAPE FROM PERSIA

(Reply to this)

Ashron writes:
on Mar 15 2007 07:52 AM

Well, I'll be the hated dissenting voice and say that I see no problem with a remake of this film because I didn't particularly think the first one was anything special. Yes, Kurt was great as Snake, and Snake is a great character, but the story and execution pretty much blew chunks. Now I know I'm in the minority with this crowd and that I'm a moron and an asshole who wouldn't know a good movie if it bit me, but so be it. I don't EFNY as one of Carpenter's good movies. Passable at best, laughable at worst, and a remake certainly won't hurt.

Just my thoughts.

(Reply to this)

The_Corrector writes:
on Mar 15 2007 09:31 AM

In reply to this comment (#858105)
You guys keep talking about remaking the bad movies. Who's gonna see a movie that is a remake of shit? Nobody. Do you honestly think someone can take Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever (#1 of the worst) and remake it into something people will see. Shitty movies have already been deemed shitty, no one will see a remake of them.

(Reply to this)

Kid_Ikarus writes:
on Mar 15 2007 10:13 AM

I'm REALLY interested in checking out Ballistic:Ecks VS Sever... i never saw this when it came out, i was working at at video store at the time and wish i had given it a go. Im really curious to see how bad this one is because all i hear is that it's TERRIBLE!

(Reply to this)

narfellus writes:
on Mar 15 2007 10:33 AM

In reply to this comment (#858109)
I have to agree with Ashron. Kurt was great in the original, and the premise was cool, but so much of the flick was done on a budget and it CAN be done better. I think it is an good choice to remake, and so dated by now that most kids haven't seen it. Ideally, they can create it as a trilogy and spread the plot logically over three installments, rather than a tacked-on sequel.

(Reply to this)

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