Holy crap, this is a project I never thought to hear about again. Nicolas Winding Refn has been attempting to remake slasher classic Maniac Cop for well over a decade. First as a feature film, then as an HBO series, and now, apparently, it’s back to a movie again. According to original director William Lustig, Refn plans to finally get cameras rolling in 2026.
Lustig told Icons of Fright, “Nic has it as his next project, that will shoot in the fall.”
We’ll see if that holds up, because Refn’s Maniac Cop has been a long time coming.
This new take by Refn is based on the 1988 movie, which included Bruce Campbell and Richard Roundtree in its cast, which should say everything about the low-budget aesthetic of the original. Refn, with his love of neon colors and extreme violence, should be able to recapture that style easily. The story will again center on a mysterious cop on a murderous rampage for revenge throughout New York City, pursued by fellow officers who don’t know if the killer is real or something supernatural.
Refn’s last movie in theaters was 2016’s divisive The Neon Demon. He has another film ready to go for later this year, Her Private Hell, starring Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, and Kristine Froseth.
