Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon, Pusher trilogy) is developing a TV series based on the cult 1988 slasher horror Maniac Cop. Refn will serve as showrunner and will direct the series alongside John Hyams, the director best known for his work on the Universal Soldier franchise. According to an article by Variety and Refn himself, this Danish filmmaker has been looking to remake Maniac Cop for years. This, however, won’t be Refn’s first venture into TV shows: this June, Amazon released his crime drama series Too Old to Die Young.
Directed by William Lustig and written by Larry Cohen, the original Maniac Cop follows a former police officer (played by Robert Z’Dar) who comes back from the grave to seek revenge on those who wronged him in life. As the news about a mysterious murderer in a police uniform spreads around, it’s up to his former colleagues to stop him before the city descends into chaos and paranoia. Despite being both a critical and commercial failure upon its release, Maniac Cop quickly became a cult classic, leading to two sequels: Maniac Cop 2 and Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence.
