The Real Reason Kurt Russell Will Likely Never Play Snake Plissken Again

Kurt Russell probably isn't going to reprise the role of Snake Plissken, the iconic eyepatch-wearing action hero he played in John Carpenter's cult classics "Escape from New York" and "Escape from L.A." While speaking to Josh Horowitz to promote the Apple TV+ series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters," Russell said that he's open to another outing in this universe. Unfortunately, it will only happen if he gets to re-team with Carpenter for the project.

"I'm always... 'Oh, Snake? No. John? No. Period.' John Carpenter is the reason for Snake Plissken," Russell said. "I did make him happen, but John Carpenter movies are John Carpenter movies, and that's what's fun about them."

Sadly, John Carpenter doesn't appear to be in any rush to return to the director's chair in a meaningful capacity. He hasn't helmed a feature since 2010's "The Ward," and he's primarily focused on making music and enjoying the fruits of his labor these days. However, the "Halloween" director hasn't ruled out returning to his old job, but another Snake Plissken movie with the original cast and crew involved seems unlikely at this point.

Where does one go after escaping from New York and Los Angeles? Space, of course. Following "Escape from L.A.," John Carpenter reportedly considered taking the franchise to space with a project called "Escape from Mars," but that never materialized. However, the idea supposedly informed the director's 2001 space-western, "Ghosts of Mars," which sees Ice Cube, Jason Statham, Pam Grier, and Natasha Henstridge forced to contend with demonic Martians. Carpenter hasn't confirmed if "Ghosts of Mars" was originally imagined as a Snake Plissken adventure, but it's an interesting idea nonetheless. But will he ever take Snake to the red planet?

Carpenter hasn't commented on returning to this world, but that doesn't mean he's fully retired. Earlier this year, he told Variety that he's open to directing again, but there are conditions attached. "I'm open to it, given that it's honestly budgeted and there's plenty of time to do it — and that people allow for the basketball season and the playoffs," the director said. Whether or not he's keen to give Plissken one last hurrah remains to be seen.

Of course, Hollywood probably won't finance a new Snake Plissken movie with Kurt Russell and Carpenter attached any time soon. As of this writing, the plan is to give the franchise a fresh coat of paint, with a new filmmaking team at the helm.

The "Escape from New York" remake has been stuck in development hell for years, with filmmakers such as Robert Rodriguez and Leigh Whannell being attached to the project in the past. Meanwhile, Tom Hardy and Jason Statham have been linked with the starring role. The last we heard, though, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence had been tasked with overseeing the film's development, and they shared some details about their plans for the film.

"I don't think we know enough about the movie yet to be able to say anything, but yes, 'requel' is the idea," Bettinelli-Olpin told ComicBook in March 2023. "There's no way to remake how great that movie is; would be a fool's errand to try. So, you know, we'll try to borrow what we love from it and find a new way to put the package together."

That said, fans shouldn't expect the original filmmakers to be part of the festivities. John Carpenter told Variety that he wasn't even told about the redo, so he probably won't be involved in any capacity. As such, we can also rule out Kurt Russell signing up based on his claims that he won't play Snake Plissken again unless Carpenter is part of the proceedings.