Nicolas Winding Refn remaking Maniac Cop

A modern adaptation of 1988 cult slasher Maniac Cop is in the works, with Nicolas Winding Refn and his partner Lene Børglum producing

Drive and Neon Demon director Nicolas Winding Refn is returning to his beloved LA to produce a remake of William Lustig’s Maniac Cop, a brutal B-movie slasher about a crazed cop who returns from the dead and goes on a killing spree across the city.

The new version is written by Refn and Ed Brubaker (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), and in the director's chair is action maestro John Hyams, best known for surprise critics’ favourite Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning.

While the original “maniac cop” was very much a supernatural beast, a legendary “shoot first and ask questions later” supercop who is mysteriously back from the dead to reap revenge in those who put him behind bars, this new film won’t necessarily follow the same plot. “Maniac Cop will not be a pure horror film but rather a contemporary and realistic action thriller,” reports Variety.

Refn’s involvement will certainly pique film fans' interest, but this will be very much a Hyams film, says Refn’s partner and long-time collaborator Lene Børglum. “The reason why we wanted to work with John Hyams is because we love his visual style and his ability to work extremely well on a limited budget,” she told Variety.

To us, the combination of Refn’s arty style and Hyams’ pulpy action chops sounds like a wonderful combination. Reacquaint yourself with the original Maniac Cop with the trailer below.