In 2016, it was announced during Cannes that John Hyams (Sick) would direct a remake of William Lustig’s 1988 cult classic Maniac Cop. By 2019, the project went from being a movie to a series for HBO produced by NWR Originals. Then, as these things often go, silence. Cut to almost 7 years later and…
Nicolas Winding Refn (Her Private Hell), founder of NWR, announced during Cannes that he would be directing the remake.
Maniac Cop
The original movie follows a killer dressed in a police uniform as he goes on a killing spree on the streets of New York City. However, the series was slated to be set in Los Angeles and told through different perspectives, from cop to criminal. There is no word at this time on whether Refn’s version will still follow this plotline, but he intends to start shooting in LA this January. Indicating the location change is probably staying.
“The concept has always appealed to me,” said Refn in a statement. “In today’s political and social climate, the iconography of Maniac Cop alone provokes an immediate, uneasy reaction. I’ve been watching it all unfold while constructing this project in the shadows… waiting. Now, that moment has finally arrived. The time has come to unveil a radical new vision where there is no protection, no safety net, only mayhem…”
Refn will produce through NWR. Christina Erritzøe and Kimberly Willming are executive producing, alongside Vincent Maraval for GoodFellas. Mubi is backing the project and has secured distribution rights for North America, Latin America, the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Maniac Cop in Nicolas’s hands is not a remake. It is a resurrection,” said Efe Cakarel, Founder and CEO of MUBI. “Nicolas has one of the most dangerous imaginations in modern cinema, and he is exactly the filmmaker to reawaken something this iconic. We’re proud to be partnering with him on a film that feels bold, singular and impossible to ignore.”
Maniac
In 2012, another one of Lustig’s films, Maniac, was remade by Franck Khalfoun. The 1980 movie was a gritty story about a psychopathic man going on a killing spree in New York City, with underlying themes about loneliness and belonging. The remake is a brightly polished story about a psychopathic man going on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City, with underlying themes about loneliness and belonging.
Unlike many horror remakes, Khalfoun’s adaptation was embraced by fans for understanding the spirit of the first film. While taking the idea in a completely different direction visually. Let’s see if history repeats itself with Maniac Cop,
Refn’s Her Private Hell is hitting theaters nationwide on July 24. Refn is teasing a 2027 release for Maniac Cop on Instagram.
