We've known about 20th Century Fox's plan to remake John Carpenter's ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK for some time, but it appears that the project is slowly moving forward as the studio narrows down their search for a director. Per Jeff Sneider of The Tracking Board, it seems that Robert Rodriguez will be the man for the job.

Robert Rodriguez recently wrapped up principal photography on ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL for Fox and the studio seems keen to continue their relationship. A deal has yet to have been reached, so take this with a grain of salt for now. John Carpenter will be on-board to executive produce the upcoming remake as well as lay down the law when it comes to the movie's tone, but the studio is also hoping to reinvent the series and follow the formula of their rebooted PLANET OF THE APES franchise. According to Variety, Fox is looking to get production started on the remake this summer.

Does ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK really need to be remade? Certainly not, but as the project has been in the works for nearly a decade under the umbrella of several different studios before 20th Century Fox snagged the rights, it seems to be an inevitability we can't avoid. I'm not sure I'm convinced that Robert Rodriguez and Fox actually can successfully reinvent the franchise, but if they're able to do so in a way which sets it apart from the original, have at it. Good luck finding someone to replace Kurt Russell though.

What do you folks think about Robert Rodriguez stepping into the director's chair for a ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK remake?