Snake Plissken Found Dead at New Line.

John Carpenter's Escape from New York is one of the most memorable films I have from growing up, which is why the Deadline article stating that New Line and Warner Bros. have let the Escape from New York property go, is so taunting.

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Jeremy Renner as Snake Plissken?

There have been rumors for years about remaking Escape from New York, but this one seems a bit more solid than before. It's been reported that Jeremy Renner of Hurt Locker fame is in the early stages of being cast in the iconic role of Snake Plissken.

I reacted basically the same way whenever I hear talk of remaking Escape from New York. I'm certainly not surprised, as everything is being remade these days. But to me, Snake Plissken is one of those characters that should be retired. Kurt Russell's portrayal...

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Director Digs Timothy Olyphant for Snake Plissken

I take you back to April of this year, and my reaction to hearing the news that Breck Eisner would direct the remake of Escape from New York: "But who will put on Kurt Russell's eyepatch? When I read that Eisner was directing, I immediately leaped to Timothy Olyphant, the lead in The Crazies...As much as I know Gerard Butler has his fans and could do a good job, I'm kind of rooting for Olyphant here."

While nothing's official, Movie Web asked Eisner about that very casting opportunity. Actually, the question was posed about Escape from New York and the Jack the Ripper vs. Dracula comic book flick Blood of the Innocent. Who would Eisner like to see him play? "All three, if you ask me." But Plissken seems, at least, a very distinct possibility.

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Breck Eisner Directing 'Escape from New York'

I rather enjoyed The Crazies for what it was, and director Breck Eisner is being rewarded by being given the keys to Escape from New York.

Before we delve into what actor will or should play Snake Plissken, let's hit up some of the details on this deal. Heat Vision recalls that New Line was hot and bothered to get this movie made three years ago with Gerard Butler in the starring role, although the script has changed since the original announcement. Now handled by Allan Loeb (Money Never Sleeps), the screenplay "tries to mix an origin story for [Plissken] and merge it with the story of the 1981 original." Some things won't change; Plissken is contractually bound to be "a bad-ass," otherwise John Carpenter wouldn't have agreed to have the film remade. You would have to think the movie will open in 2011 since a script is locked in and a director has been hired. There's plenty of time to shoot in 2010 while there's still momentum for the project.

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Producer Updates 'Escape From New York' Remake

The Escape from New York remake is still happening, likely despite your claims that it could only move forward over your dead body. But why should you care if John Carpenter's fine with it? And he is, so long as Snake Plissken will "always be a bad-ass." That's in the contract between the film's creator/writer/director and New Line.

So with that in place, where do we stand? "We have a script. We're out to directors righ now," producer Neal H. Moritz tells Collider. "We've had quite a few meetings with directors and there's a couple of actors that are really interested in playing Snake and we'll see what happens."

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