mgms special edition of the  film was not released until  because the original negative had disappeared the workprint containing deleted scenes finally turned up in the hutchinson kansas salt mine film depository the excised scenes feature snake plissken robbing a bank introducing the character of plissken and establishing a backstory director john carpenter decided to add the original scenes into the special edition release as an extra only "after we screened the rough cut we realized that the movie didnt really start until snake got to new york it wasnt necessary to show what sent him there" the film has been released on the umd format for sonys playstation portable