Escape from New York (Remake)

[Advanced Dark]

http://www.superheroflix.com/news/64/18664.php

Kurt's all over the damn place in this...or the guy who quoted him has no clue how to write. LOL Kurt has alot more to say and even says now he'd do a cameo for a ****load of money. See...if he owned the rights and not Carpenter he'd do it probably to. Everything is for sale...and everyone has a price. I'll betcha in the end he does do a small role in the film if the right director is hired. Escape from NY isn't sacred. It's awesome it wasn't directed by God. LOL

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Monday, March 26th, 2007​

Kurt Russell originated the role of Snake Plissken in John Carpenter's 1981 classic, Escape From New York, and then again in Escape from L.A..

Now, it's all the rage to remake every great movie out there - but this is one franchise no one should ever redo. Kurt as the iconic character saving the president - this is movie history, people. But coming on the heels of the success of 300, star Gerard Butler is taking over the reigns as Snake in an updated version of Escape From New York.

Speaking with non other than Snake himself, Kurt Russell, there was one thing on my mind - his feelings on the remake. He definitely said plenty about it, and was very adamant as well - check it out:

Joking about his Grindhouse character, "Wait till Stuntman Mike hears about this, hahaha!" He continued, "Look, I did Disney movies, they're remade those. I did Stargate, they made that into a TV show. I did Backdraft, they made that into TV shows. They're going to remake The Thing, they're going to remake Escape From New York. There's three or four other movies, I've heard they're going to remake."

He then gave his real opinion saying, "That's interesting, why not, sure go ahead. I think Carpenter owned the first one, so he must have given them the right to do it; that's cool, whatever. I do think it's interesting that creating something - an iconic character, which that will never change; that will always be there and you can go see that. People can check that Snake out and that Escape From New York world out. But, I do feel already one thing already, that if I were there, and while I'm saying 'good luck' to you all, I will say 'interesting start, interesting to see where you're going to go with that.' I know one thing in creating a character, you know all about him. I know one thing about him - he's quintessentially American. So good luck."

But I had to dig deeper, and as Kurt was saying Snake is an iconic character, my feeling is Kurt Russell as Snake is that iconic character. "No more so than Sean Connery owns 007; that's my opinion, too. But there's no reason that is, because they've gone on and made a franchise and done a lot of movies. I'll just say the same thing I always say about Snake, knowing him so much, he's done. Any character, I know that guy, and my feeling on that is - I'm on in my life doing what I'm doing, and I'm doing Grindhouse. And at the moment, I'm caring about maybe 30 years from now, somebody is going to want to do their Stuntman Mike - that's cool. But nothing's sacred in our business."

Talking about a cameo in the Escape remake, "I would consider it for a ***** load of money."

You can check out Kurt in Quentin Tarantino's half of Grindhouse, Death Proof, in theaters April 6th; it's rated R.

 

[Noir]

Wow.
Kurt is seriously BiPolar.

 

[Advanced Dark]

He's probably trying to make us forget his first response which was understandably more defensive as the news first leaked.

 

[Noir]

Well..
I hope they don't remake Big Trouble.
atleast not without Kurt, Grindhouse is gonna bring back I know it is.

 

[Advanced Dark]

Big Trouble is a film that DOES NOT need to be remade. There's no point. A sequel might be fun with Kurt but the premise was not something that is begging for an update...or more stories to be told. The Thing is also a film that does NOT need a remake but a pseudo sequel would be kind of cool like how the last film was to the original. The Thing had total franchise potential though so many big potential franchises have been screwed like Alien and Predator...though Aliens is pure Gold. It's funny how James Cameron thinks Aliens was his biggest dissapointment as a film...it's my favorite of his by a longshot.

 

[Noir]

Big Trouble is a film that DOES NOT need to be remade. There's no point. A sequel might be fun with Kurt but the premise was not something that is begging for an update...or more stories to be told. The Thing is also a film that does NOT need a remake but a pseudo sequel would be kind of cool like how the last film was to the original. The Thing had total franchise potential though so many big potential franchises have been screwed like Alien and Predator...though Aliens is pure Gold. It's funny how James Cameron thinks Aliens was his biggest dissapointment as a film...it's my favorite of his by a longshot.

I heard it was going to be a Thing prequels about the "Swedes"

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ That would be awesome if they gave it a decent budget and told a great story. It would be so damn similar to the Kurt Russell film so they'd have to redo it. I liked the animtronics in the 1980's film alot.

 

[Addendum]

There was a kinda sequel to The Thing, but it was a ****ty game that no one played

 

[Noir]

There was a kinda sequel to The Thing, but it was a ****ty game that no one played

Sadly.. I did

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33189

Merrick Thinks The ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Remake Script Is Surprisingly ESCAPE FROM NEW YORKish!!


In a RECENT ARTICLE, I exalted early John Carpenter films…which I truly love. I love their subtext, their attitude, their style, their sound, their essence. I love them. Period.


As such, I’ve been unnerved by the parade of early Carpenter titles currently being shoved through the recycling mill. So far, we’ve gotten ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, THE FOG, Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN (reviews HERE and HERE and HERE), as well as a remake/prequel to THE THING (being scripted by Ron Moore of the current BATTLESTAR GALACTICA series). And, of course, there’s the recently announced ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK re-visitation – strategically packaged to star Gerard Butler (King Leonidas in 300). Butler would be assuming the role of disenfranchised Special Forces Operative turned master criminal S.D. “Snake” Plissken…originally portrayed by Kurt Russell.


Here’s a pic of Butler. Shaven & sans sweaty leather man diapers:

For purposes of brevity, I’ll forgo my standard, impassioned rant about how lazy and unimaginative it is for studios to be dolling out so many remakes…and how disrespectful this is to the thousands of perfectly decent original projects that go unnoticed / unmade every year. We’ll just accept this as an axiom and move on.


Instead, let’s concentrate on my theory about what legitimizes a remake…or what ingredients make for a “successful” remake. From my perspective, there are two factors that could render a remake worthwhile:
1) Do the current filmmakers demonstrate a respect for/understanding of the source material they’re drawing from?


2 Do whatever NEW elements filmmakers bring to a remake a) Feel like organic extensions of the story they’re remaking, or b) Help realize qualities that couldn’t be brought to the screen the first time around (due to budgetary limitations, social restraints, or…whatever)?


Which brings us back to the script for New Line’s currently-in-development remake of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (herein EFNY). Does it meet the above criteria? Surprisingly enough…bewilderingly enough...and I never thought I’d say this…ever...SO FAR...YES!!!


Quite a few SPOILERS will appear in the evaluation below, even though it’s a script that’s likely to change a bit before a single frame of the EFNY redux is lensed. For those wishing to remain spoiler free, here’s a quick summation: the remake script is a surprisingly faithful adaptation of John Carpenter and Nick Castle’s source material – frequently lifting entire sequences, even word-for-word dialogue exchanges, from the original film. It is extremely similar structurally. THE PREMISE IS IDENTICAL.


This is a HUGE project – expansive in scale. Many elements from the 1982 film have been drastically embiggened, and significantly amped up (including military shenanigans & the political ramifications of the President being held captive in a prison). As written, the EFNY remake would be a hard “R” rating with carnage, decapitations, and dismemberments aplenty. A VERY “80s” style of in-your-face, balls-to-the-wall violence runs throughout the script. I would LOVE for New Line to not chicken out on these elements, and allow some “oomph” to be put onscreen. A lot of us out here are missing it, you know?


The very first thought that jumped into my mind after reading this script? This EFNY has jackass politicians, frequently touches on media coverage / societal ridiculousness, makes some very pointed analogies / criticisms of the United States & its place in the world, and has tons of “Oh, my god” action & violence. Someone should go overseas, club Paul Verhoeven over the head, drag his ass back to the States, and unleash him on this project. It feels like vintage Verhoeven; and I believe there’s a place for that…a need for that…in the increasingly safe, unchallenging cinema marketplace these days. Come to think of it, George Miller could do it, too. Since he's struggling to get MAD MAX: FURY ROAD off the ground, maybe...


Enough of my pitiful, fanboy dreaming & onto the nitty gritty.

 

[Hunter Rider]

HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD!!!




EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THIS MAY CHANGE BEFORE FILMING, SOME OF IT MAY NOT BE CHANGED!!!




TURN BACK NOW TO REMAIN VIRGINAL ABOUT THE EFNY REMAKE!!!






Okay, here we go…


Who wrote the new EFNY?
Ken Nolan. BLACK HAWK DOWN.


How similar is it to the original film?
Extremely.
Structurally, thematically, and in many details - this is nearly identical to Carpenter’s 1981 movie. Much original material has been broadened and enhanced (more on this below). Script is notable not for what’s missing, but for what has been retained (and expanded). Many sequences are identical to original film – including the same dialogue.


When's it set?
Around / after 2024. A title card reads "NOW". Gotta love it.
I wish SF films would stop attaching a firm "time". Doing so means they'll automatically "expire", and invites annoying scrutiny ("Hey, 2001 has come and gone & the movie was wrong about a lot of things, wasn't it?!?")


What characters appear in this new version?
Most of the characters in the original are present – serving the same functions. Hauk, Rheme, The Young Doctor who injects the exploding capsules into Snake’s neck, The President of the United States, The Duke of New York & his sidekick Romero are all there. Other familiar subordinates & archetypes also appear.


Who didn't get ported over from the original film?
There is no “Cabbie” character in this version. His function has been assumed by “Squirrel”. Squirrel is (more or less) an assistant to Brain & feels like a John Leguizamo role. Squirrel drives around a Brink’s truck, which crushes people real good.
Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau’s role), Brain’s squeeze. No counterpart.
The Chock Full ‘O’ Nuts Girl. Missing, no counterpart for the character or her sequence.
Brain is not already known to Snake in this version. Their interactions are quite similar, though.
There are probably others, but these spring to mind immediately.


Merrick, you say some of the original sequences have been “embiggened”. Give us some examples, you *******!
The hijacking of Air Force One is now presented in greater detail; how its captors got on board & whatnot. The seizure of the plane is fully dramatized via a fevered firefight between the hijackers & Secret Service, explosive decompression of the plane, etc.
The actual CRASH of Air Force One is shown much more fully & spectacularly. We see many shots of NYC denizens looking skyward as the disabled plane powers between the city's skyscrapers, evoking 9/11. Air Force One’s final demise is actually seen on-screen this time (it was confined to a computer simulation in the original) and recalls the “object lesson” sequence in DIE HARD 2.
Many scenes with the “Crazies” (whose presentation suggests FIREFLY’s “Reavers” - i.e. savagely disturbed, deranged, and cannibalistic) have been boosted significantly. Scenes describe HUNDREDS of them on-screen at once. Fighting, chasing, dying, etc. The Crazies are a source of constant irritation and jeopardy, and also serve as generic cannon fodder throughout.


You say ideas have been expanded, elements added. Tell me more!
** The protracted opening narration of the film takes us through the immediate future history of the United States – visualized via documentary footage & snapshots . We see the “wall” being built, initially to keep out rising sea levels. Ultimately, nation-wide discord (and NYC becoming increasingly unlivable) results in the wall being wrapped around Manhattan as part of a social experiment / new approach to criminal justice. Manhattan Island Supermax is born.


** We see numerous FLASHBACKS of Snake Plissken running Black Ops overseas. These recur throughout much of the movie. They tie in to some new twists and turns involving the President, but I think Plissken’s character is undercut by having elements of his background / the seeds for his contempt over explained. Mystery…simplicity…is a potent device for storytelling and character. The overall essence of Plissken remains intact, but feels a touch diluted. Not knowing him was a bit more fun, more pure, and a lot more dangerous.


**The Duke of New York broadcasts Snake’s gladiatorial match to a mortified outside world – during primetime.


**One sequence gives us mass carnage of prisoners; incredible casualties. Hundreds and hundreds are slaughtered before our eyes, unapologetically.


** Ever wonder what it would look like if well-outfitted Government Forces clashed with thousands of armed inmates on the streets of NYC?


By the way, Plissken is no longer a warrior who surived combat in Russia / Soviet Union. He’s now served time in the Middle East (Afghanistan). The Middle East, America’s involvement there, and how what we’re doing there affects our place in the world more or less drives this film’s political commentary. I don’t know that I like this: I think EFNY’s overall relevance comes from its societal perspective - which certainly includes, but doesn't necessarily emphasize - political relevance.


Merrick, what are your favorite NEW elements?
** Snake pausing for a quiet moment to appreciate the tragedy of New York’s downfall.


** A sequence (intercut during a lengthy opening narration) showing the arrival of a prisoner called Clarence Dukemajian. He arrives with a barge load of convicts, pauses to survey the NYC skyline before him. All the other inmates around him see struggle and uncertainty. Clarence sees…opportunity. When we see him again later, he’s The Duke of New York.


** There’s much more external involvement in Snake’s rescue operation this time: including lethal (and spectacular) air support!!!.


What’s are the biggest new elements in the film?
**LOTS of detailed military stuff; many kinds of planes put to various uses & a great deal of tech. All help to ground the film in a sense of reality.


** There are many new action sequences (including a rather large road chase that feels like an homage to THE ROAD WARRIOR).


** More substantively: there’s a government “conspiracy” injected into the second half of the film (involving whether or not the President should even be rescued at all). It dramatically changes our perception of the story, and brings a bit more substance, angst, and edge to Plissken’s begrudging cooperation. Part of this involves a bad-ass Navy SEAL team that’s inserted when The Powers That Be feel Plissken is taking too long to bring out the President.


Merrick, is there anything about this script you didn’t like?
The end is too over-the-top, involving a big, effects driven set piece that comes from out of nowhere, starts in an almost comical way, and doesn’t feel entirely congruous with the tone of the film up to that point. A hint: imagine an extremely similar sequence to the scene in which Snake’s being pulled up the wall at the end of Carpenter's film…then mix it with the watery finale of INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. It’s kinda weird.


The AMERICAN BANDSTAND theme is (disappointingly but understandably) replaced here. A more iconic substitute should be found. What's there is a little silly.
"I heard you were dead", one of my favorite conceits from the original film, is absent. Although, it's replaced with a recurring line that's almost as amusing.

Believe it or not, I’m leaving OUT many, many details…and haven’t even scraped the surface of the notes I took when reading the script. But, I think all of this gives you a really good sense of what this new ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is all about. Where it’s coming from, and how it thinks.


What impresses me most here is Nolan’s almost slavish devotion to Carpenter’s original material. It’s not a begrudging devotion, either. It’s respect.


In fact, teeny, tiny details from the original were not only detected, but augmented here. For example, while Plissken is being processed in the opening of the 1981 version, there’s a background announcement offering inmates the option to "terminate" instead of getting shipped to Manhattan. This nuance actually becomes a set piece in the new script. It's an "immolation chamber"!


There's little here that undercuts anything the original film was trying to accomplish. The screenplay's greatest missteps are already enumerated above:


1) The finale feels way out of place with the film around it. It's a classic case of a storyline consistently ratcheting up its jeopardy to the point where the writer has no choice but to become unhinged. But, it's excessive & seems a little disingenuous in its tone.


2) Seeding EFNY with constant references to America's Middle East activities / policies certainly brings the film a sense of relevance...but it makes it too relevant, too immediate. Approaching this element more allegorically (and less literally) would smooth things out a bit, I think.


3) Grounding Snake's past / America's (future) crises in the Middle East strips EFNY (and the Plissken character) of a substantial part of their mythology. Middle Eastern conflicts are real, and happening now, and might still be going on when the film's date rolls around. There's nothing mythological about a real scenario that's already happening. Resetting the flashbacks / war references to a more esoteric, abstract locale (a la the original film's references to Leningrad and Siberia) might imbue the rewrite with a sense of breadth and myth that it's missing.


So, there you have it. The possibility of hope for a project that many (including myself) had already set out to roundly condemn. Snake & Co. still face many pitfalls on their way back to the screen, not the least of which are pesky little considerations like the choice of director. Find someone too slick, for example, and the script's grit and raw vitality will be severely undercut. Find someone too tepid, for example, and its visceral abandon will be both meaningless and ineffective. That's tricky as hell.


Some damn fool announcement may come down soon that makes me hate this project all over again. For the moment, however...if this remake HAS TO HAPPEN...it feels like The Snake abides. And not only does he abide, he's kicking a little ass, too.

 

[Alexia Dark]

*sees Gerry pic*

*hyperventilates*

*squeals*

*faints*

 

[Advanced Dark]

Nice find.

 

[Rezzo]

Sounds really interesting

 

[Advanced Dark]

This is exactly how they should do it. Give the storyline a respectable budget, keep all the core elements of the original and expand on it front & back, and get an actor who can give us a totally different version of Snake instead of trying to photocopy Kurt. Of course Snake still has to be the same character with the same motives. He should always be a man of few words.

 

[Jackasscoley15]

I'm not too fond of the idea of a remake, but I must admit, I really like the bit about the beginning prologue/narration, with the intercut documentary-like footage.

 

[Advanced Dark]

When I was watching Live Free or Die Hard I couldn't help but think of EFNY when all the power went out across the whole city and all the lights were blacked out. Very cool ****.

 

[Hunter Rider]

The script review sounds very promising IMO,loved the sound of the Air Force One Hijacking sequence and The Navy Seal team being sent in as well as the Road Warrior like chase and the spectacular air support mentioned,the scope seems huge and is balanced by getting the story and character right by the sound of things........Now we just need a director

 

[Advanced Dark]

Who's tied to New Line??? Hmmmm. Goyer is.

 

[Hunter Rider]

God i hope not

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I was going to say I hate the idea of a lame remake of Escape from New York - but John Carpenter is alreayd guilty of that himself in 1997, so what the hell.

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ Everyone is against a "lame" remake. There is nothing to suggest this retelling is lame. Alex Proyas is into dark films like this but his I Robot kind of wasn't good.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

^ Everyone is against a "lame" remake.

Except the Hollywood execs who regularly pump out lame remakes every month.

 

[Space Moose]

I'd rather they take these new ideas (which are acutually really good) and make a new movie with a similiar plot than re-make one of my favouraye films of all time. I'm not against it or saying it will be bad (because it does sound really good), but I just wish that they wouldn't touch something that I have much respect for.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Although I'm in two-minds about anyone taking on Kurt Russell's signature role, I'm glad Butler is playing Plissken. When you think of all the bigger names who might have been cast (Vin Diesel, Ben Affleck, The Rock, Paul Walker, Justin Timberlake - just about anbody would be wrong) it's good that we got an actor who is atleast a convincing badass.

Having said all that, Snake is also somewhat of an in-joke character. He's not supposed to be taken 100% seriously as he is a Clint Eastwood impersonation, a sci-fi cowboy. So the actor needs a self-awareness as well, and Russell had that down perfectly. He knew he was playing the ultimate badass so he kept it low key, almost underplayed the role.