Leigh Whannell to Write ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Remake

This is certainly a great week for Leigh Whannell. First, he was announced as the writer and director for a new version of The Invisible Man for Universal and Blumhouse. Now, it's being reported that he's taking on Escape From New York for Fox. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, he's locked a deal to write the remake script for Fox, and while he's not signed on to direct, they mention that option is still on the table. John Carpenter will be on board an an executive producer, with Andre Rona and Alex Heineman as producers.

This is a project that has seen multiple writers and directors over the years, including Robert Rodriguez, and we've reported on updates back in 2015 and 2013, so hopefully this project gains a little more traction with Whannell's recent success directing Upgrade. According to THR sources, this will take less of a summer blockbuster-style approach: "will retain elements of the original but bring new ideas to the table. One of Whannell's goals is to avoid the bloated tentpole remake path that afflicted the reboots of other 1980s-era movies such as Robocop and Total Recall."

We'll be sure to keep Daily Dead readers posted on any new developments.