'Escape From N.Y.' Has All-Night Finale At Statue Of Liberty [Daily Variety/Oct 15/1980/US]


John Carpenter's futuristic adventure film Escape From New York wrapped principal photography Thurs. [9] after an all night location shoot at the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor.

The $7,000,000 pic for Avco Embassy Pictures has been shooting in Los Angeles, St. Louis and Atlanta since the beginning of August with Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Season Hubley, Harry Dean Stanton and Adrienne Barbeau.

While special effects work is ongoing in Roger Corman's Venice, California studio for this science fiction pic, Carpenter has scheduled two months for editing, to be followed by preparing his music score and mixing for Dolby stereo. He estimated an April or May completion date, in time for Avemb's scheduled July, 1981 release.

Carpenter noted the change in scale represented by the Escape From New York production. All his previous features, including The Fog and Halloween had come in for $1,000,000 or less and were partially or wholly non-union. Union-made film Escape utilized a 180-person crew, as compared to the 40-50 member unit utilized on The Fog in 1979.

Carpenter clarified his upcoming picture schedule to Variety. First up will be a sequel to his hit, namely Halloween II, hopefully to roll next February or March. No deal has yet been made on this property [though Irwin Yablans is a prospective partner], with Carpenter co-scripting with his producer Debra Hill. As with all of his previous films, Carpenter will compose the film's music, but no director has been set yet.

Currently being scripted is a Jeremy Summers property Hell Hath No Fury, which Carpenter will co-produce with his wife Adrienne Barbeau for their Hye Whitebread Productions banner. Meanwhile, Bill Lancaster's script for a Universal Pictures remake of RKO's The Thing has been completed and project is being budgeted by the studio. Carpenter is excited by the script, noting that it goes back to the original Who Goes There? science fiction story by John W. Campbell Jr. rather than parroting the Howard Hawks 1951 production.

Helmer plans a late 1981 start for his EMI-backed epic western El Diablo. Scrapped is Carpenter's "secret" fantasy project Without a Trace about government experimenting with invisibility. He confessed that though the subject was fascinating, "I couldn't come up with a third act."