UPDATE: Deadline says production set to begin this summer.
It looks like Nicolas Winding Refn is finally not shooting his long-gestating phantom project “The Avenging Silence.” Instead, the filmmaker is teasing something entirely new on Instagram.
Refn appears to confirm his next film is titled “Her Private Hell,” with a cast that includes Charles Melton, Sophie Thatcher, Kristine Froseth, and Havana Rose Liu. Neon is handling distribution. Plot details? None—because Refn loves a good tease.
In a recent chat with Variety, Refn revealed the project is set in Japan, will be in both English and Japanese, and already has financing locked in. It’s set to shoot this year and is based on an original story that promises “lots of glitter, sex, and violence.” So, basically, it’s a Refn film.
He also teased that the film will revisit themes—and possibly characters—from his past fever-dreams, including “Only God Forgives.” So, expect the vibe to be somewhere between hypnotic and completely unhinged.
This marks Refn’s first feature in over nine years. His last was the delightfully divisive “The Neon Demon” in 2016, a body-horror acid trip starring Elle Fanning that debuted at Cannes to a chorus of boos, bravos, and early exits.
In the meantime, he’s kept busy with TV, directing “Copenhagen Cowboy” for Netflix, Amazon’s “Too Old to Die Young,” and producing the BBC’s “The Famous Five.” Refn’s filmography includes “Drive,” “Bronson,” and the “Pusher” trilogy.
