About forty years ago, director William Lustig and screenwriter Larry Cohen teamed up to craft the 1988 horror film Maniac Cop, which spawned a trilogy, with Maniac Cop 2 following in 1990 and Maniac Cop 3 coming along in ’93. The franchise went dormant for a while – but eighteen years ago, Lustig and Cohen got the rights back. Fourteen years ago, it was revealed that they were teaming with Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn for a new Maniac Cop. At first, it was said to be “more a prequel than anything else,” but then it was referred to as a remake – and even though we heard that funding for the film had been secured ten years ago, it never went into production. Instead, the project evolved into a TV series, which was picked up by HBO six years ago. But that show never went into production, either. Now, Lustig reports that Refn might finally be about to get the Maniac Cop remake in front of cameras.
Reminder
The original Maniac Cop had the following synopsis: In the heart of New York City, innocent people are being slaughtered in cold blood-by someone wearing a police uniform. As fear grips the streets, rookie officer Jack Forrest becomes the prime suspect after the brutal murder of his own wife. But Jack isn’t the killer… and the real threat is far more terrifying. Lieutenant Frank McCrae’s investigation uncovers a horrifying truth: a relentless, inhuman force is stalking the city-a man once sworn to serve and protect, now back from the grave and out for blood. As the body count rises and the department closes ranks, McCrae and Forrest must race to uncover the secret behind the badge before the city is drowned in its own blood.
Remake
Refn was producing the remake. Ed Brubaker, best known for his work as a comic book writer, wrote the screenplay, which had John Hyams (Sick) attached to direct for many years. The setting was moved to Los Angeles, and the TV series was going to tell its story through a kaleidoscope of characters, from cop to common criminal. A killer in uniform has uncaged mayhem upon the streets. Paranoia leads to social disorder as a city wrestles with the mystery of the exterminator in blue – is he mere mortal, or a supernatural force?
Hyams said the remake would be completely tonally different from the original film, and the TV series was described as an “action-packed horror odyssey.” Refn said it would be his version of “a cocaine-fueled, neon-soaked, bubble gum-wrapped, mayhem-infused, speed-driven universe of thrill-seekers who are consumed by that ever-present struggle of good vs. evil…but evil is winning.”
Update
During an interview on the Icons of Fright podcast, Lustig said (with thanks to our friends at Bloody Disgusting for the transcription), “Nic has it as his next project, that will shoot in the fall. … What happened with HBO was, HBO got sold to Discovery, and Discovery — after they’d spent over a million dollars developing the scripts for the series — Discovery says, ‘We’re not in the Maniac Cop business.’ They gave all the scripts back to us, so we didn’t have to pay a turnaround, so that was it with HBO. Now it’s moving ahead. I can’t announce the company, but it will become known. It’s sort of like one of these things that’s bouncing around in your head, and you wanna just get it out. I think Nic is at that point. This thing had so many fits and starts. It’s moving ahead and expected to start shooting the fall.“
They’ve gone back to the idea of making this as a feature film rather than a TV series, but Lustig didn’t say whether or not John Hyams is still involved.
Are you glad to hear that the Maniac Cop remake might finally be happening this year? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
