The remake train has arrived in New York, and now it wants to escape from it. Variety reports that Live Free or Die Hard and Underworld director Len Wiseman is wrapping up negotiations to helm a remake of the classic John Carpenter directed, Kurt Russell flick Escape from New York. Neal Moritz is producing and Black Hawk Dawn writer Ken Nolan is re-scripting.

While we definitely don’t need an Escape from New York remake, if we have to have one then Wiseman has proven an acumen for hard edged action that should serve the movie well. And while nobody could ever replace Russell as Snake Plissken, if someone has to attempt it then Wiseman has the right man to do it. As rumored, 300’s Gerard Butler will be playing Snake.

Let’s be honest though. Yes, the original is considered something of a trash classic and is therefore irreplaceable. But have you watched it lately? Carpenter’s Escape from New York just doesn’t hold up that well and Russell’s performance mostly boils down to wearing an eyepatch. There’s room for improvement here. It’ll be interesting to see what Wiseman and Russell do with it.

As usual even though it’s a remake it looks like everyone’s trying to claim it’s not to avoid the negative stigman attached to doing one. John Carpenter has already started beating the “re-envisioning”, “re-imaginging” or whatever drum. In an interview with the Suicide Girls he said, “I don’t know that it’s a remake. I think it’s a lot about Snake before he gets to New York”.

In case for some strange reason you haven’t seen it (and congratulations on avoiding it, basic cable makes that difficult), then here’s a plot breakdown. Escape from New York is about a future in which New York has been emptied of honest folk and turned into a gigantic, maximum security prison.