Way back in June we relayed a few remarks made by Breck Eisner regarding his upcoming rendition of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. Mostly singing effusive praise for THE CRAZIES star Timothy Olyphant – even deeming the man worthy of portraying the immortal Snake Plissken in the new film update – it now seems a new name is being courted by Warner Bros.
According to Production Weekly, Jeremy Renner (seen above) has been offered a chance to don the infamous eye-patch in the ESCAPRE FROM NEW YORK rehash. Word is the offer hasn’t been accepted nor denied, but whatever the decision, the film plans on lensing in the first quarter of 2011.
Renner, still hot from an Oscar nod for last year’s THE HURT LOCKER, has THE AVENGERS in pre-production (also slated for 2012), and the oft-stalled P.T. Anderson film THE MASTER still on hold. He’s also currently filming the asininely named MISSION IMPOSSIBLE IV: GHOST PROTOCOL.
I’ll go ahead and I say I back this decision. If a remake has to be made, and we can all agree there’s no replacing the legendary Kurt Russell…why not get a dude who is still relatively unknown, has the physical prowess to the handle the role, and…oh yeah, a dude who can really act! I like Tim Olyphant and all, but I see Renner better suited for the part.
What says you?