By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The long-mooted new version of MANIAC COP produced by Nicolas Winding Refn has moved from the big to the small screen, specifically HBO.
Variety reports that Refn will serve as showrunner and director, sharing the latter duties with John Hyams, on a MANIAC COP series for HBO and Canal Plus. The update of the cult-fave film franchise by director William Lustig (who will serve as an executive producer on the show) and writer Larry Cohen is the first production of Refn’s byNWR Originals. It will be set in Los Angeles, and tell the story of a uniformed serial killer—who may be supernatural—through a variety of characters, from real cops to criminals.
“I’ve always been a devoted admirer of John Hyams,” Refn says of the director who has won raves for his UNIVERSAL SOLDIER sequels and has also helmed episodes of Z NATION and BLACK SUMMER, among others. “We’ve been talking about a reimagining of the MANIAC COP films for a number of years, but as we continued to work on the material, we found ourselves wanting to explore the world we were creating in greater depth. Turning MANIAC COP into a series will allow us to realize our wildest ambitions and to reach an enormous audience though partners HBO and Canal Plus. This show will be an unadulterated, action-packed horror odyssey. Given the current state of the world, though, MANIAC COP will also be a strong commentary on the decline of civilization.”
