Earlier this year director Breck Eisner surprised with the solid horror remake of The Crazies and a few months later he signed on to direct another remake, Escape From New York. Last we heard, Eisner was interested in his Crazies star Timothy Olyphant as Snake Pilssken.
Bloody Disgusting now reports that The Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner is “in close talks to land the lead role,” albeit this is a very early announcement. Renner is also in blockbuster territory as Tom Cruise‘s Ethan Hunt apprentice in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, currently shooting.
Talkng with Coming Soon either this year, Eisner explained where he wants the film to go:
Conceptually, it’s an idea that’s not true today because of the world we live in. So, how the prison is created is going to be different than in Carpenter’s version. The anxiety of the world and anxiety of our existence post-9/11 is there, especially the anxiety in Manhattan post-9/11. Plot-wise, they’re different, emotionally they’re very similar. That’s why it’ll be interesting to tackle this movie, to have a slightly different take but with the same results which is Manhattan is turned into a walled prison.
And, as we know, Snake is legally obligated to wear an eye patch and “always be a bad-ass.” Renner would be perfect for the role, but he also has another huge blockbuster to film next year, The Avengers. With this remake also looking to get into production next year, I hope he can fit both in.
What do you think about Renner as Pilssken?