http://chud.com/nextraimages/ratnerstones.jpgThe very idea of an Escape from New York remake is anything but good news, but since it is going to happen, the least we can hope for is that it either receives an imaginative overhaul (not bloody likely with Ken Nolan’s ho-hum draft) or bombs quietly like Rupert Wainwright’s The Fog.

The latter suddenly seems a distinct possibility now that Brett Ratner has, allegedly, abandoned the project. This info arrives courtesy of AICN, which received a missive from a new (but hopefully trustworthy) scooper who spoke with the Rush Hour 3 maestro at the Savannah Film Festival (where he was receiving an "Achievement in Film" award!). According to Ratner, the project is still alive, but, alas, he has moved on. To what, I have no idea. The Hugh Hefner biopic? The William Stadiem-scripted Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra (with Chris Tucker starring as The Chairman’s valet, George Jacobs)? A whore stacking contest with Robert Evans?

Escape from New York is a priority project for New Line (which desperately needs a franchise infusion), so Option C (i.e. Les Mayfield) should be announced any day now.