By Following this year’s divisive Amazon Prime series Too Old to Die Young, Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon) will be sticking around the small screen for a bit longer with Maniac Cop.
Taking inspiration from the B-movie films from the ’80s, the upcoming series will zero in on the Los Angeles lurkings of the titular shielded-slaughterer, as well as a slew of other characters on both sides of the law.
HBO and Canal Plus will handle distribution, with byNWR Originals, Refn’s production company, producing in their maiden production. Refn has long been attached to a revival of the slasher film franchise, with the turn to a series, rather than a new film, the biggest sign of development. “We’ve been talking about a re-imagining of the ‘Maniac Cop’ films for a number of years, but as we continued to work on the material, we found ourselves wanting to explore the world we were creating in greater depth,” Refn said on the shift to series.
Working with John Hyams, who will executive produce and direct alongside him, Refn is set to showrun the series. “This show will be an unadulterated, action-packed horror odyssey. Given the current state of the world, though, ‘Maniac Cop’ will also be a strong commentary on the decline of civilization.”
Sounds very similar to this year’s Too Old to Die Young, which I enjoyed immensely as a fan of Refn’s indulgent, visually-dazzling approach to mysticism and genre filmmaking.
Stay tuned for more ultra-violent neon weirdness from Refn and co.
Nicolas Winding Refn Sets ‘Maniac Cop’ Series With HBO, Canal Plus [Variety]