Two 1981 favorites are coming back to theaters for a new generation.
At CinemaCon 2026, StudioCanal announced that both “Escape from New York” and “The Howling” have reboots currently in development.
The French distribution company didn’t give many details on the reimaginings of these two cult classic franchises. The news came at the end of a panel presentation StudioCanal shared with Angel Studios and Sony Pictures Classics.
“Escape from New York” is a 1981 independent sci-fi action film from legendary filmmaker John Carpenter. Carpenter co-wrote the screenplay with Nick Castle. The film, set in the then-future 1997, follows Kurt Russell as Lieutenant S.D. Bob “Snake” Plissken, who is sent to Manhattan Island, which serves as a maximum security prison, to rescue the President of the United States (played by Donald Pleasence).
Russell would return as Snake Plisken in “Escape from L.A.,” a 1996 sequel again directed by Carpenter. Carpenter co-wrote the follow-up alongside Russell and Debra Hill (Carpenter’s longtime partner with whom he wrote “Halloween”).
Another 1981 cult classic, “The Howling” follows Karen White (Dee Wallace), a news anchor who, after being stalked by a serial killer, goes to a resort known as the “Colony” beset by werewolves. Joe Dante directed the film, written by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless and adapting Gary Brandner’s novel of the same name.
“The Howling” spawned a long-running franchise spanning seven sequels between 1985 and 2011. Follow-up films include “Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf,” “Howling VI: The Freaks” and the latest entry, “The Howling: Reborn.”
During the panel, StudioCanal also showed footage for “Everybody Wants to F–k Me,” a comedy/thriller starring Taron Egerton as a man stalked by women who want to be with him. They rounded out the panel with a clip from the beginning of Danny Boyle’s new film “Ink,” starring Jack O’Connell as Larry Lamb and Guy Pearce as Rupert Murdoch. “Ink” is slated for release in 2027.
