During the 1970s New Hollywood era, director John Carpenter openly expressed his admiration for classic genre movies. Although he embraced the decade’s skepticism and questioning of authority, Carpenter did not aim to completely overturn cinema conventions like some of his contemporaries. Instead, he deeply respected the work of earlier filmmakers, especially auteurs like Howard Hawks, whose ability to excel across Westerns, musicals, dramas, crime thrillers, and comedies influenced Carpenter’s own approach to filmmaking.
Carpenter’s Genre Dedication and Signature Remakes
Reviewing Carpenter’s filmography reveals a consistent dedication to the genres he explored. Aside from the early college comedy sci-fi film Dark Star, his extensive work in horror, science fiction, and action stands as exemplary, including the intense body horror of The Thing and the eerie EC Comics–inspired story of The Fog. Carpenter was no stranger to remaking classic films, often attaching the prefix John Carpenter’s to assert his distinct creative vision. For example, his 1982 The Thing was a remake of Howard Hawks’s The Thing from Another World, while 1976’s Assault on Precinct 13 revisited the siege Western theme of Hawks’s Rio Bravo.
Carpenter’s Ideal Remake: Only Angels Have Wings with Kurt Russell
In June 1996, shortly before the release of his Escape from L.A. sequel, Carpenter revealed to film critic Anne Billson which classic film he most wanted to remake. He chose the 1939 Columbia Pictures romantic adventure Only Angels Have Wings, centered on an air freight company manager’s dangerous efforts to secure a major contract across South America. Carpenter envisioned casting Kurt Russell in the lead role, a logical choice given their strong history of collaboration on films like The Thing, Escape from New York, and Big Trouble in Little China.
Potential Cast and Carpenter’s Current Focus
Carpenter imagined other key roles in the remake as well, including Sam Neill as the difficult co-pilot Bat MacPherson and Jeff Bridges as the experienced aviator ‘Kid’ Dabb. Though Carpenter’s desire to helm this project remains unfulfilled, his ongoing focus appears to have shifted away from directing. Instead, he dedicates time to personal interests such as video games and producing his Lost Themes music records. However, with both the director and his preferred actors still active, the possibility of this remake remains open, if uncertain.
“Maybe with Kurt Russell.” – John Carpenter
