Nicolas Winding Refn's Maniac Cop Remake Sets Up in Los Angeles for January 2027 Shoot, Fully Financed by Mubi

One of the most distinctive and uncompromising directors working in cinema today is returning to the feature format with a project he has been building toward for over a decade. Nicolas Winding Refn is officially in pre-production on Maniac Cop, a bold reimagining of William Lustig's 1988 cult slasher about a uniformed killer terrorizing city streets. Production is set to begin in Los Angeles in January 2027, with casting actively underway now. For crew working in the LA market or willing to relocate, this is a high-profile opportunity to get in early on what promises to be one of the more visually ambitious and stylistically singular horror features in recent memory.

Refn needs no introduction to anyone who has spent time in the industry. The Danish filmmaker broke into mainstream consciousness with Bronson in 2008 and followed it with the one-two punch of Valhalla Rising and Drive, the latter of which turned Ryan Gosling into a movie star and Refn into a household name among cinephiles worldwide. Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon, and the sprawling Amazon series Too Old to Die Young cemented his reputation as a director who builds entire visual and tonal worlds from the ground up, demanding a great deal from every department. His most recent work, Her Private Hell, premiered at Cannes, signaling his continued commitment to auteur-driven, festival-caliber filmmaking. Refn is also producing through his own byNWR Originals banner, which he has used to champion cult and transgressive cinema. Christina Erritzøe and Kimberly Willming serve as executive producers alongside Vincent Maraval, who EPs for the co-producing entity Goodfellas. No casting has been confirmed publicly yet, though the announcement that casting is currently underway suggests the production is actively in conversations with talent.

The financing and distribution setup here is genuinely notable and worth understanding before you pursue this one. Mubi, the arthouse streaming and theatrical platform that has evolved aggressively into production and distribution over the past several years, is fully financing the film. This is not a streamer acquisition play or a co-production hedge. Mubi is all in, which signals meaningful creative freedom for Refn and a production budget commensurate with a globally distributed theatrical release. Mubi will distribute across North America, Latin America, the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand, with a wide theatrical release planned. International sales for remaining territories are being handled by Veterans. Goodfellas, the Paris-based sales and production company with deep roots in European arthouse and genre cinema, is co-producing. This is a genuinely international production infrastructure wrapped around a Los Angeles shoot, and that combination typically translates to a well-resourced, professionally run set.

Los Angeles is confirmed as the primary filming location, with cameras expected to roll in January 2027. That timeline places the production comfortably in early pre-production right now, which means department heads across virtually every discipline are either already being approached or will be in the coming months. For a film rooted in the visual language of urban dread, a uniformed killer stalking city streets, and the kind of neon-soaked heightened realism that defines Refn's aesthetic, the production is likely to lean heavily on its locations department to find the specific textures of Los Angeles that serve that vision. The city's deep crew base, world-class stage facilities, and well-established infrastructure for large-scale shoots all make it a logical home for this project, and California's film tax incentive program remains a meaningful factor for productions of this scope choosing to stay in-state rather than relocate to Georgia or another incentive-heavy market.

In terms of what this production will need: expect a significant art department build-out. Refn's films are meticulously designed environments, not discovered locations, and the transformation of Los Angeles into the film's specific vision of a city under siege will require a production designer and art department team with serious credentials. His past collaborations with cinematographers have been defining creative partnerships. Refn shot Drive with Newton Thomas Sigel, Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon with Natasha Braier, and Too Old to Die Young with Darius Khondji. Whoever he chooses to shoot Maniac Cop will be a telling signal about the film's visual direction. Given the genre (a horror-thriller with action elements rooted in a slasher franchise), stunt coordination and a practical effects team will also be essential hires to watch for. This is very likely a SAG-AFTRA and IATSE production given Mubi's profile, the scale of the financing, and the LA-based shoot.

With January 2027 on the horizon, there is time to pursue this thoughtfully rather than scramble. But the smartest move is to get your name in front of the right people early. ProductionList.com has the full listing for Maniac Cop, including production contacts, office addresses, and the crew list as it populates through pre-production. Check the listing now, bookmark it, and watch it closely as department heads come aboard over the coming months. Productions like this one fill their key roles quietly and quickly, and the crew members who land on Refn's sets are rarely the ones who waited to hear about it secondhand.

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