That previously announced Escape from New York remake is officially on the way, and with Zack Snyder in tow.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Zack Snyder is set to write and direct a remake of John Carpenter's 1981 sci-fi action pic. The Picture Company (A Complete Unknown) is set to produce in conjunction with Studio Canal and Snyder's own Stone Quarry banner.
The remake was announced several years back, with Radio Silence previously attached to direct, with Leigh Whannell set to pen the script (which definitely tells us that it was going to have more of a horror vibe). Both parties left the project in 2024, with both Whannell and Radio Silence citing "scheduling issues."
Escape from New York stars Kurt Russell as an eye-patch-wearing former Green Beret turned federal prisoner named Snake Plissken, who is given just 24 hours to rescue the President of the United States in exchange for his release. The film was a critical and commercial success, spawning the sequel Escape from L.A... and inspiring the ever-popular video game Metal Gear (which is getting a live-action movie treatment of its own).
You might be thinking, "Didn't we get a remake back in 2012?" Well, Lockout, which saw Guy Pearce play a former CIA operative named Snow who has 24 hours to save the President's daughter in exchange for total immunity, is not an official remake and has no affiliation with the original movie whatsoever. Moreover, StudioCanal and Carpenter sued the film, with the court ruling that the film is indeed an "unauthorized remake."
Snyder is currently working on The Last Photograph, which stars Rebel Moon actors Stuart Martin and Fra Free. A TV series based on 300, Snyder's 2006 epic historical action movie, is also still in the works.
Escape from New York does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of all the exciting upcoming movies in 2026 and beyond.
