Casting Call: Escape From New York

In which we suggest who should star in the next big adaptation, remake, or historical film.

Released in 1981, John Carpenter’s epic cult classic Escape from New York is a harrowing science fiction adventure from start to finish (as well as one of the few Carpenter films that was actually commercially successful). Set in a future dystopian New York City in the year 1997, the film depicts the evacuated Manhattan as a maximum-security prison: the United States has become overridden with enormous crime and corruption, and a Third World War looms on the horizon. Meanwhile, the prisoners of Manhattan capture the President of the United States after Air Force One is hijacked by a terrorist operation en route to a peace summit. If the White House doesn’t give into their freedom demands, they’ll kill the President. The man tasked with the mission of rescuing the esteemed leader? None other than anti-hero Snake Plisskon, a former special forcers soldier-turned-rebel who was convicted of attempting to rob the Federal Reserve a few years back. Making a deal with the New York Police Commissioner, if Snake is successfully able to free the President, he’ll be fully pardoned for his past crimes. But if he fails or abandons the plan in less than 24 hours—in typical dystopian fashion—he explodes.

A sequel, Escape from L.A., was released in 1996 to less than favorable reviews, and a reboot has been making its rounds around Hollywood since 2007. Last week, however, 20th Century Fox officially acquired the rights, with Carpenter set to executive produce. The film is still in the early stages—no script has been written—so we figured we’d lend Carpenter our casting expertise in the meantime.

Casting Call runs every Friday. For more, click here.