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Zack Snyder to Direct Practical “Escape from New York” Remake

6/4/2026

Summary

Snyder Remakes

Director Zack Snyder announced he will remake filmmaker John Carpenter’s Escape from New York.
Picture Company’s Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will produce film via a StudioCanal deal.
Snyder will co-produce with partners Deborah Snyder and Wesley Coller while John Carpenter serves as executive producer direction and screenplay input.
Snyder says the remake will be “down and dirty,” using practical effects and locations, echoing his Dawn of the Dead remake.

Summary

Spearing Announces Reboot

Hugh Spearing, EVP, announced the Escape from New York remake at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this year.
Reboot cycled through directors Len Wiseman, Brett Ratner and Robert Rodriguez after rights moved from New Line to 20th Century Fox in 2017, leading producers Joel Silver, Robert Rodriguez, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Giller to begin cycles.
Wyatt Russell was floated as Snake Plissken, but his brother Wayne Russell called the role ‘career suicide 101’ in a 2021 interview.

History

Historical Context

John Carpenter wrote Escape from New York in the mid-1970s as a reaction to Watergate and released the $6 million-budget film on July 10 1981, where it earned over $50 million and became a cult classic. After a series of stalled remakes beginning with a 2007 Gerard Butler announcement, Zack Snyder’s 2024 revival taps the 1980s sci-fi nostalgia trend.

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Snyder Remakes

Director Zack Snyder announced he will remake filmmaker John Carpenter’s Escape from New York.
Picture Company’s Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will produce film via a StudioCanal deal.
Snyder will co-produce with partners Deborah Snyder and Wesley Coller while John Carpenter serves as executive producer direction and screenplay input.
Snyder says the remake will be “down and dirty,” using practical effects and locations, echoing his Dawn of the Dead remake.

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