CinemaCon: Escape From New York & The Howling Reimaginings in Development From StudioCanal

It looks like another reboot of John Carpenter’s classic, dystopic sci-fi action movie, Escape From New York, is getting another shot at the big screen. During a keynote presentation at the 2026 CinemaCon on Monday (Apr. 14), StudioCanal EVP Global Marketing and Distribution, Hugh Spearing, announced that the production company is developing new “reimaginings” of Carpenter’s iconic movie and the 1981 werewolf-themed horror movie, The Howling.

No other details were revealed for the projects, other than that they’re in development. More news on the franchise reboots is expected to be announced soon.

The original 1981 Escape From New York starred Kurt Russell as the former Special Forces soldier-turned-convicted criminal Snake Plissken. Snake is offered a deal to save the president after his plane is shot down and he’s taken captive on the isolated island of Manhattan, which is now a walled-off maximum security prison. He has only hours to save the president before micro-explosives in his arteries explode.

The original was a breakout success, grossing over $26 million domestically off a $6 million budget. Oscar-winning director James Cameron also worked on the production, rendering matte paintings for the film.

Escape From NY eventually garnered a 1996 sequel, Escape From L.A., with Russell reprising his role and Carpenter returning as director. Unfortunately, it was not as well-received as its predecessor.

Will a Reboot of Escape From New York Finally Materialize?

Reboots of Escape From New York have been talked about and developed in Hollywood before, but nothing has yet materialized. Now, it looks like StudioCanal seeks to crack the iconic film series open again.

Scream and Ready or Not directors Radio Silence were developing a new Escape movie, previously claiming their take wouldn’t be a remake of the classic 1981 feature. However, it now appears their version is off the table, and StudioCanal is now looking to reimagine the franchise.

The Howling received multiple sequels over the years. The 1981 movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by author Gary Brandner. At one point, IT and The Flash filmmaker Andy Muschietti was talked about as a potential director for a remake of the franchise in the early 2020s for Netflix, but it never got off the ground.

It’s unknown who StudioCanal has in mind to helm the upcoming remakes. It should be interesting to see who boards Escape From New York and might take up Snake Plissken’s famous eyepatch.