The time must be ripe to work out deals for talent with films in the fall festivals. Especially with a filmmaker that is rather hot at the moment.
Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn is set to write and direct a modern Bangkok-set Western titled, “Only God Forgives.” The film will center on a Thai police lieutenant and a gangster who decide to settle their differences in the boxing ring. The director is also in talks to helm an as-of-yet titled heist film produced by Gore Verbinski.
While his viking-epic “Valhalla Rising” isn’t exactly lighting Venice on fire critically, Winding Refn showed his immense talent with the Tom Hardy led prisoner-portrait “Bronson.” We can’t wait to see what he can do with a modern Western and a heist film.
Known for his excellent, “Pusher” trilogy (or at least until “Bronson” dazzles audiences this fall), it is unclear what project Winding Refn will be working on next. He is also attached to “Jekyll,” a new take on the Jekyll and Hyde story starring Keanu Reeves as well as the Paul Schrader-scribed “The Dying Of The Light,” which centers on a CIA agent afflicted with Alzheimer’s on his final mission. A win-win-win-win situation?
Either way, it’s apparent this Danish talent is in very high demand. Don’t be surprised when some major studio tries to rope him into a major tentpole or a super-hero film. Hopefully he resists the temptation to do anything that’s inherently crap, but we’d actually love to see him take over “The Dark Knight” series if and when Christopher Nolan left. But that’s if and when. We’d love for him to pursue all his original projects first.