The books Escape Artists Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 dig into the making of the John Carpenter / Kurt Russell films Escape from New York and L.A.

Back in 1981, director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell introduced the world to one of the coolest antiheroes in cinematic history, war hero turned criminal Snake Plissken, the lead character in the sci-fi action classic Escape from New York. Fifteen years later, Carpenter and Russell came back for the sequel Escape from L.A.… which isn’t nearly as popular as its predecessor, but is still a worthwhile movie because it gives a chance to spend more time with Snake. Author Andreas Johansson has given nearly equal time to Escape from New York and Escape from L.A. with his newly released books Escape Artists Vol. 1: Escape from New York Interviews and Escape Artists Vol. 2: Escape from L.A. Interviews, which have page counts of 406 and 403, respectively – and both books are now available for order through Amazon! You can get Escape Artists Vol. 1 at THIS LINK and Escape Artists Vol. 2 at THIS LINK.

Escape from New York had the following synopsis: In 1997, a major war between the United States and the Soviet Union is concluding, and the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president is taken hostage by a group of inmates. Snake Plissken, a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.

Here’s the information on Escape Artists Vol. 1: Escape from New York Interviews: Join production historian Andreas Johansson and over sixty cast and crew for a journey back to the most dangerous place on Earth where breaking out is impossible and breaking in is insane. Contained within this book are untold stories from the making of John Carpenter’s cult classic Escape from New York. Explore virtually every aspect of production through in-depth interviews and vintage articles. The book also features rare behind the scenes photos. Escape Artists Vol. 1 features: Details on the director’s fight to cast Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken – Crew accounts of how 1980 St. Louis became 1997 New York – Harrowing stories of stunts, fights, and explosions – Memories from cast and crew of the iconic Liberty Island shoot – Previously untold special effects tricks, techniques, and secrets – Scoops on deleted scenes both filmed and unfilmed – Insights into how the film’s iconic score was composed – Anecdotes from the wrap party, world premiere, and promotional tour – New details on the creation of the tie-in novel and board game

Escape from L.A. told the following story: In 2013, the United States president is exiling all citizens who don’t conform to his hyper-conservative views to Los Angeles, which became an island after a huge earthquake. But, when the president’s daughter nabs the detonator to her dad’s apocalyptic weapon and sneaks into L.A. to be with the rebel leader she loves, the government taps commando-turned-crook Snake Plissken to retrieve the young woman. And, if he doesn’t succeed quickly, he’ll be executed.

And here’s the information on Escape Artists Vol. 2: Escape from L.A. Interviews: Join production historian Andreas Johansson and over sixty cast and crew for a journey back to a lawless future L.A. where nobody gets out alive. Contained within this book are untold stories from the making of John Carpenter’s subversive cult sequel Escape From L.A. Explore virtually every aspect of production through in-depth interviews and vintage articles. The book also features over eighty rare behind the scenes photos, some never before seen. Escape Artists Vol. 2 features: Unique insight into how the filmmakers “destroyed” L.A. – Casting anecdotes including alternate actor considerations – Stories of how the cast got along (or didn’t get along) – New info on the abandoned 1987 prequel – A screenwriter’s multi-continent heist effort to pen the sequel – Tales of how the film took over a beloved Universal backlot set – Details on how the action evolved from storyboard to screen – Anecdotes involving stunts, chases, and explosions – Stories and pics of surprise celebrity set visits

Are you a fan of Escape from New York and/or Escape from L.A., and will you be buying copies of these Escape Artists books? Let us know by leaving a comment below.