Rumors have been swirling around for three years now as to who will play Snake Plissken in the remake of John Carpenter's Escape From New York. First up was Gerard Butler, fresh off his star-making turn in 300, then Timothy Olyphant back in June. The most recent name mentioned has been Jeremy Renner, who, according to a recent story, had entered early negotiations. Turns out that the rumor isn't true.

The Wrap has officially shut down rumors, saying that Renner is not currently involved with the production. There is a caveat in the story, however, as it reads that Renner might become involved with the film further down the line, but the truth is that the film "is a long way off from casting." Renner is currently filming the fourth movie in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and then will get into superhero mode as he plays Hawkeye in Joss Whedon's The Avengers.

While the idea of remaking Escape From New York is still a horrible, horrible idea, and I really like Renner as an actor, my vote still goes for Timothy Olyphant. The man has proven again and again that he can play a hardened badass, which is exactly what Plissken is. That said, if the hard drive that script is on should decide to fail and every paper copy mysteriously catches on fire, that wouldn't be the worst tragedy in the world.