Rumor: Charlie Hunnam Eyed for Snake Plissken in 'Escape from New York' Remake

A remake of John Carpenter's Escape from New York has been in the works a long time with the only movement on it headed backwards. For a time it was New Line Cinema backing the project and names like Gerard Butler and Jeremy Renner were mentioned as possibilities to play Snake Plissken, the eye-patched anti-hero made famous by Kurt Russell. But now a new report says producer Joel Silver and Silver Productions, who have been in charge of this thing for awhile now, are nearing the pre-production stage and three names have emerged for the Plissken role.

According to Starlog, Charlie Hunnam, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), and Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead) are on the list of potential stars, although none have been made an offer yet. Hunnam is supposedly the frontrunner but it doesn't seem possible he could fit a film like this into his schedule. He's already going to be busy with Pacific Rim 2 and he just came aboard Guy Ritchie's King Arthur franchise. As for Stevens, he made a case for how bad ass he can be in The Guest, and he's definitely a star on the rise. Bernthal has been busy since leaving The Walking Dead and will star alongside Brad Pitt in Fury. Out of the three he's the one I'd like to see get the role most as he's got the tough guy chops to pull it off.

This version will differ from the original by placing Plissken as part of a team of criminals with the other characters basically as co-stars rather than minor supporting players. He'll strike a deal with them to help save the President's life, and in return he'll help get them off the island prison...

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.

So while concept art is apparently being drawn up it's still too early to start talking about a director. Considering how long Escape from New York has been getting shuffled around it's probably best to give the side eye to any stories talking about its progression.  When Silver first picked up the film he had planned it as a trilogy but that seems like a far-fetched notion at this point.