With Scream’s Radio Silence at the helm, a remake of Escape from New York is moving forward. The 1981 cult film was directed by John Carpenter (Halloween). It starred Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, a criminal who must rescue the President from a futuristic version of Manhattan that has been transformed into a massive maximum-security prison. Although 20th Century Fox purchased the remake rights in 2015 and added Robert Rodriguez as director and Leigh Whannell as a writer, the film’s development has stalled.
Radio Silence, the creators of Scream, have joined the nearly five-year-old production team working on a remake of Escape from New York. It has been reported by Deadline that Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella will take over for Rodriguez in the directing roles. The Picture Company’s Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman are set to work with Carpenter (executive producer). The Hollywood studio 20th Century Fox is apparently looking for a new screenwriter, too.
What the Filmography of Radio Silence Reveals About Their Flight from New York?
The idea of hiring Radio Silence to helm a new version of “Escape from New York” is really intriguing. Before directing the successful black comedy horror picture Ready or Not, they shot to stardom with the now-classic anthologies V/H/S and Southbound. There were varying degrees of chilling fear and dark comedy in each of the works, but what really stood out was the team’s ability to adapt to a variety of genres. Because of Radio Silence’s track record of making critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, the production of Scream 5 was entrusted to them.
Radio Silence helped Paramount make nearly $140 million with the release of the latest Scream picture. The film also received a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was well-received by audiences. As a result, they proved they could successfully update a classic horror franchise while adding their own brand of mystery and humor. The team’s prior success with Scream suggests that they are capable of helming a new Escape from New York film and that 20th Century Studios can put their faith in them to provide a worthy revival for Carpenter fans. In particular, Radio Silence knows how to direct a character like Snake Plissken, who combines brash bravado, sarcastic banter, and violent mayhem with ease.
Radio Silence’s success with Scream demonstrates its ability to take on a new series entry, although Escape from New York is a departure from their typical horror fare. Radio Silence seems versatile enough to make a sequel to Carpenter’s cult classic, a dystopian science fiction action spectacular with political implications. Fans of Escape from New York should rest easy knowing that at least some of the director’s original vision will be preserved thanks to the director’s executive producing role. Nonetheless, Radio Silence will likely explore uncharted terrain in the sci-fi and action genres while ramping up the gore and dark humor in the Escape from New York remake.
