Two years ago, the filmmaking duo Radio Silence, known for their work on projects like “Ready or Not,” “Scream,” and “Scream VI,” announced their involvement in a new movie based on John Carpenter’s classic “Escape from New York.” Partnering with 20th Century Studios, they had Carpenter himself on board as an executive producer for the upcoming film.
Initially labeled as a “reboot,” the project evolved into what the filmmakers described as a “requel,” blending elements of both a reboot and a sequel. However, in a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett revealed that they have stepped away from the project.
Gillett explained, “We are not, unfortunately. I think titles like that bounce around for a while and I think they’ve tried to get that out of the blocks a few times. I think it’s just ultimately a tricky rights issue thing. There’s a clock on it and we just weren’t in a position to make the clock, ultimately. But who knows? I think, in hindsight, it feels crazy that we would think we would, post-Scream, step into a John Carpenter franchise. You never know. There’s still interest in it and we’ve had a few conversations about it but we’re not attached in any official capacity.”
“Escape from New York” follows the story of a convicted bank robber named Snake Plissken, who is tasked with rescuing the U.S. president after his plane crashes into Manhattan, which has been transformed into a maximum-security prison.
Radio Silence, fresh from their work on the gory vampire film “Abigail,” had recently seen success at the box office and with critics. Despite their departure from the “Escape from New York” requel, fans can still anticipate updates on the project and future endeavors from the filmmaking duo.
