Nicolas Winding Refn says no to a 'Drive' sequel, but maybe a spin-off

Back in May, fans of gory art house vengeance flicks(that includes yours truly) got worked up into a rightful lather when author James Sallis said that a sequel to Drive was in the works. He'd already written the novelized form, titled Driven, and revealed that a film adaptation was "in the pipeline". That may still be the case, but it doesn't sound like director Nicolas Winding Refn will be involved.  But he could be totally open to a spinoff. Confused?

While talking to The Evening Standard(via ThePlaylist), Refn was asked about a Drive follow-up and his answer was kind of a head-scratcher....

Refn: "That is never going to happen. But the character of The Driver might return in another film. We're playing with that idea. We'll see what happens."

Ok, what the heck does that mean? The only thing I can figure is that he plans to continue on with other films, and may occasionally drop The Driver into the story if it makes sense. But a true Drive sequel doesn't appear to be in the cards. That makes me wonder what Sallis will end up doing, since Driven is a true sequel and it doesn't sound like Refn or his buddy Ryan Gosling have any interest. Nor do I think a studio would shell out any cash without the popular duo. For all the critical acclaim it earned, Drive didn't exactly set the box office on fire.

Of course, it's always possible Refn is just blowin' smoke.