Robert Rodriguez in Talks to Direct Fox’s “Escape From New York” Remake (Exclusive)

Getty Images

After directing Alita: Battle Angel for 20th Century Fox, Robert Rodriguez is in talks to direct the studio’s remake of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, the Tracking Board has exclusively learned.

While there’s still no deal in place just yet, Rodriguez is the studio’s choice and according to insiders, he’s eager to stay in business with Fox, for whom he also produced 2010’s Predators.

The Picture Company’s Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman are producing the Escape From New York remake alongside StudioCanal, while original director John Carpenter will serve as an executive producer.

Luther creator Neil Cross wrote the script, and while official plot details for Snake Plissken’s latest adventure are being kept under wraps, the studio plans to follow the same formula employed by its Planet of the Apes franchise to great success.

Carpenter’s 1981 cult classic starred Kurt Russell as Plissken, a prisoner enlisted to rescue the U.S. president after his plane crashes in Manhattan, which in the future has become a maximum security prison.

The gritty material is right in Rodriguez’s wheelhouse, as he previously directed the Sin City and Machete movies, as well as Grindhouse and the Mariachi Trilogy. He’s represented by WME.

 Jeff Sneider | Editor in Chief