Oh God, the Escape From New York remake is moving ahead…

There were rumours a while back of a remake of Escape From New York. We ignored them and hoped they would go away. But they haven’t (here).

Studio Canal and Silver Pictures are moving ahead with this. Good for them. Probably not good for us. Anyway…

Starlog are now reporting that the remake, rather than focusing on Snake Plissken – the character made iconic by Kurt Russell – will be more of an ensemble deal, saying it will be “more team-based, as Snake Plissken traverses through a treacherous New York landscape with a rogues gallery of criminals who look to leave the island-turned-prison in exchange for the rescue of the captured U.S. President.”

“Plissken’s team consists of Mina, a warzone journalist framed for murder and living in the shadows of New York as a scavenger; Cabbie, a schizophrenic travel guide who serves as comic relief; Gareth, the last surviving member of the President’s security detail who harbors a dangerous secret; and The Brain, Plissken’s former partner-in-crime who left him to die after a botched robbery,” they continue.

As for Plissken, one of cinema’s most iconic characters, there’s a three actors lined up for the gig, according to the site.

First up is Charlie Hunnam, star of Pacific Rim, Jon Bernthal, Shane in The Walking Dead and The guest star, Dan Stevens. They report that Hunnam is the favourite but with him in talks for the role of King Arthur in Guy Ritchie’s new movie series (here) and getting ready for PacificRim 2, it’s not known if he’ll be available to destroy a classic.

They go on to say that Silver Pictures have already commissioned artwork of Hunnam in the patch and combats. The movie will kick-off a trilogy (there were only two starring Russell) and in it “Snake’s past will be seen in brief glimpses throughout the film, blending into his reality via Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” 

Groan.

We expect to hear more on this before 2015. And we can’t wait.