John Carpenter’s Escape From L.A. Getting Collector’s Edition Blu-ray

Filmmaker John Carpenter debuted Escape from New York in 1981, which quickly became a beloved genre hit, earning the 1996 follow-up Escape from L.A., which Scream Factory will be bringing to Blu-ray with a Collector’s Edition. The sequel took place in 2013 and saw the continued adventures of Snake Plissken, once again played by Kurt Russell, as he infiltrated Los Angeles, which had become detached from the mainland following an earthquake, in an attempt to rescue the kidnapped daughter of the president of the United States. Keeping in tradition with other Scream Factory releases, the film will come with a number of special features when it debuts on April 28th.

The distributor confirmed the news on their Facebook page, while teasing the following special features:

• This is being presented as a Collector’s Edition release and will come guaranteed with a slipcover in its first three months of release.
• The newly commissioned artwork you see pictured comes to us from artist Hugh Fleming. This art will be front-facing and the reverse side of the wrap will feature the original theatrical artwork.
• New extras are in progress and will be announced on a later date (March timing) but expect it to be loaded. Also, we are working on trying to secure a new transfer of the film, so keep your fingers crossed!

The film was one of many collaborations between Carpenter and Russell, some of which have earned remakes. A report last year claimed that Escape from New York was on track to be getting a remake, rumors of which have been circling for years. Last February, The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Leigh Whannell, who previously delivered audiences Upgrade and crafted this year’s The Invisible Man, was tapped for the remake.

The outlet reported Whannell would be “kickstarting Escape with a new vision for the project that sources say will retain elements of the original but bring new ideas to the table. One of Whannell’s goals is to avoid the bloated tentpole remake path that afflicted the reboots of other 1980s-era movies such as Robocop and Total Recall.”

With The Invisible Man landing in theaters next month, it could free up the filmmaker’s schedule to invest more into that remake.

Stay tuned for details on the Escape from New York remake and grab your copy of Escape from L.A. on Blu-ray on April 28th.

Will you be adding the film to your collection? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!