Elle Fanning joins Nicolas Winding Refn's L.A. Horror 'The Neon Demon'

Back when Nicolas Winding Refn first started talking about his film I Walk with the Dead, he described it as an L.A. horror with a lot of sex. It may have taken awhile for the film, retitled The Neon Demon, to get moving but now that Refn is ready to roll he's found a star who has never starred in a film that promises to be so provocative.

Elle Fanning has taken the lead role in The Neon Demon, meaning that Carey Mulligan is no longer attached as had been suspected. Confirmed for a spring shoot just a couple of months ago with Cliff Martinez scoring and Philippe Le Sourd (The Grandmaster) providing the cinematography, the film has been most recently described as a "horror film about vicious beauty". Refn and Mary Laws co-wrote the script, with Fanning playing an aspiring model who is caught in a world of beauty and demise. Doesn't sound like the kind of role we'd expect out of Fanning which makes this all the more intriguing. She's been consistently edging her way up by taking more mature roles, like last year's drug-fueled biopic, Low Down. 

Clearly Refn is excited to be working with Fanning on this, tweeting "Elle Fanning is a super cool wonder woman and I look forward to going on a terrifying trip with her into ‘The Neon Demon."

Filming on The Neon Demon is to begin this spring

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Nicolas Winding Refn Moves Forward on Female-Led Horror, 'The Neon Demon'

It's been awhile since we've heard anything concrete on Nicolas Winding Refn's horror film I Walk with the Dead, which was to be led by an all-female cast that was rumored to include Carey Mulligan. Refn hasn't directed a film since last year's Only God Forgives, which didn't perform all that well, and he's been reluctant to take on anything new. But now he's made a firm decision, announcing the horror film as his next project and revealing its new title.

According to THR, Refn will direct The Neon Demon with plans for shooting to begin next spring. Refn will co-write the script with Mary Laws, who has apparently replaced playwright Polly Stenham who was attached to the film previously. Details on the plot aren't really available yet but the story will bring Refn back to Los Angeles, and he's clearly jazzed about it...

Refn: "One morning I woke and realized I was both surrounded and dominated by women. Strangely, a sudden urge was planted in me to make a horror film about vicious beauty. After making Drive and falling madly in love with the electricity of Los Angeles, I knew I had to return to tell the story of The Neon Demon."

Refn will reteam with Cliff Martinez on the score, while Philippe Le Sourd, who did amazing work on Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster, will be his cinematographer.  Mulligan isn't mentioned in the report and she may have moved on, or Refn is keeping her involvement a secret. Hopefully it's the latter.

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Nicolas Winding May Direct Horror Film 'The Bringing'

With Drive and last summer's inscrutable Only God Forgives now firmly in the rear view, Nicolas Winding Refn has had a tough time settling on his next project. He's circled a few mainstream flicks such as The Equalizer and a Logan's Run remake, but left both perhaps because they were a little too mainstream. I have no facts to back up that statement; just consider it speculation on my part. Now Refn is circling a buzzed-about horror that Sony Pictures expects to be a really big deal.

Deadline reports Refn is in early talks to direct The Bringing, which Sony fought hard to win the rights to Brandon and Phillip Murphy's script. So what's the big deal? The film's genesis was the widely circulated Youtube video of Elisa Lam, who was acting strangely in the Cecil Hotel elevator mere hours before she was found dead in the water tanks on the roof. The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles is the place where serial killers such as Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger lived briefly, and is reportedly one of the final places Elizabeth Short (aka the Black Dahlia) was seen alive.

The Lam case will have nothing to do with the film but clearly was an inspiration on the story of "a man investigating a death at the hotel, and the nightmare he stumbles into." And why should we expect Refn to take this high-profile gig when he's passed up on so many others? Because he reached out to Sony for this one rather than the studio calling him, so clearly this is something he wants to do. That enthusiasm only calls into question the fate of Refn's proposed sex thriller Carey Mulligan became attached to some time ago.

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Nicolas Winding Refn, Ang Lee, Shane Black and more eyed for next James Bond film

It's always a big deal when names start getting tossed around to direct the next James Bond film, but after the $1B+ returns on Skyfall, it's become more of an issue than ever. With Sam Mendes dropping out, the Internet was set abuzz when Christopher Nolan supposedly entered informal talks with producers, although nobody knows for sure just what entails. It could have just been a chat over breakfast. However those negotiations are, other directors are definitely being considered.

A report at Variety tosses Nicolas Winding Refn, Ang Lee, David Yates, Shane Black, and Tom Hooper into the mix to helm Bond 24, although they note that we could be waiting awhile for a final decision. The shortlist isn't at all surprising, as each contender is either a proven box office or awards season success, and are definitely of a similar stature as Mendes.

Refn is perhaps the most intriguing choice, even if he's also the one least likely to take something like this on. After what sounds like an awful experience during the brief time he was attached to helm The Equalizer, Refn came out recently and compared making blockbuster flicks like banging a cheap whore....

Refn: “Hollywood is like going into a hotel room and seeing the most gorgeous escort girl. She will say to you 'You are the greatest filmmaker in the world, I will do whatever you want’ and you’re so tempted, but you’re also like ‘Am I gonna catch something?’”

FirstShowing actually caught up with Refn recently and asked him directly about taking on the next Bond film. He doesn't confirm anything, but the site takes his smirk and demeanor as a confirmation he's been approached. They may be reaching a bit on that mark. Check it out in the video below....


Whoever gets the job will have to work with the script being put together by John Logan, which is expected to be bigger and extend into the follow-up film. So it's not as if the director is going to get much of a chance to put his own stamp on the franchise, which is perhaps the main reason why directors like Nolan and Refn seems like long shots.

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Three new clips from 'Only God Forgives' with Ryan Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas

Those fortunate enough to be at Cannes (*grumble grumble hate you grumble*) will be able to set their eyes on the latest bro-off from Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling, the thai boxing crime flick Only God Forgives in just a few days. The rest of us still have a couple of months of anxious waiting, but fortunately it looks like we'll have a steady stream of clips to tide us over.

One thing that has been pretty well established in the previously released footage is that Kristin Scott Thomas has never looked more fierce, and the three new clips from The Film Stage continue to back that up. She features in two of these clips as Crystal, a crimelord who arrives in Bangkok to help her son Julian (Gosling) orchestrate revenge against Chang, the brutal ex-cop who murdered her other son. The last one is sure to whip eager fans into a frenzy as it's basically a precursor to what we expect to be a violent showdown, and ends with Gosling issuing a clear challenge.

Only God Forgives finally arrives on July 19th.

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Kristin Scott Thomas dominates three new 'Only God Forgives' clips

While most of the attention on Only God Forgives will be directed at Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn, and justifiably so, but based on everything we've seen so far it may be Kristin Scott Thomas who steals the show. With a dark and evil wit she plays the crimelord mother to Gosling's character, and in the latest batch of clips we see that her words are as brutal as the film's many acts of stylish violence.

Only God Forgives will debut at Cannes next month, before opening in theaters on July 19th. Check out the plot and clips below...[Cine Republic]


Only God Forgives clip 2 by Flixgr

Only God Forgives clip 3 by Flixgr

Only God Forgives clip 1 by Flixgr

PLOT:  Julian (Gosling) lives in exile in Bangkok where he runs a Thai boxing club as a front for the family’s drugs smuggling operation. When Julian’s brother Billy is killed their mother, Jenna (Kristen Scott Thomas), arrives in the city. She wants revenge and forces Julian to find the killer. Julian’s contacts in the criminal underworld lead him directly to The Angel of Vengeance, a retired police officer who knows everything and who is both Judge and Punisher. Jenna demands that Julian kill The Angel of Vengeance, an act that will cost him dearly.

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New international poster for 'Only God Forgives' with Ryan Gosling

It's been a busy week if you're one of those eagerly following Only God Forgives, the latest teaming up of Drive duo Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling. The film was announced as an official entry at the Cannes Film Festival, and we also were treated to a pair of great trailers and a vibrant new poster. But that's not all, as Gosling is featured on a newly released French one-sheet.

While not as eye-catching as the last one, this image does show that Gosling will again be putting on his stoic warrior face. He plays Julian, who runs a Thai boxing gym which is actually just a front for the drug operation run by his mother. Kristin Scott Thomas plays the matriarch in the film, who encourages Julian to go out and get revenge when her other son is murdered. This puts him in the crosshairs of a bruiser by the name of Chang, the Angel of Vengeance.

Only God Forgives will premiere at Cannes before punching theaters on July 19th.

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*UPDATE* Two New 'Only God Forgives' trailers and poster as the film heads to Cannes

Because of the rave response Nicolas Winding Refn received at Cannes for Drive, his last teaming with Ryan Gosling, it seemed like the chances were pretty good that their next pairing would turn up there. After months of speculation, all speculation was put to rest this morning as Refn's thai crime thriller Only God Forgives was announced as an Official Selection for the Cannes Film Festival.

Hot on the heels of the news comes an electric new poster and a powerful international trailer that shows Kristin Scott Thomas may steal the film away from Gosling. She's a dominating presence throughout as his mother, who runs a drug operation that Gosling's kickboxing gym is a front for. When she forces him to go out and get revenge for his brother's murder, the brutal havoc he creates puts him on a collision course with a former cop known as The Angel of Vengeance.

The campy karaoke soundtrack from the previous teaser has thankfully been dropped in favor of something more penetrating, adding a visceral quality to a film that already looked pretty intense. I need to find a way to Cannes, ASAP. Only God Forgives hits theaters on July 19th.


Only God Forgives (bande-annonce vost) by MyScreens

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Ryan Gosling's looking for a fight in 'Only God Forgives' red band trailer

Drive may not have had the awards muscle or the box office success that many thought it would have, but the pairing of Ryan Gosling with Nicolas Winding Refn still flashed a ton of promise. Their follow-up, the Thai boxing crime thriller Only God Forgives is one of the most anticipated films of the year, and now a new red band trailer has arrived.

Soaked in crimson and featuring Refn's stylish noir touches backed oddly by a Thai karaoke singer, the trailer puts Gosling again in the familiar role of a hardened warrior, and we see him engaged in numerous brawls and dragging thugs around by their teeth. He plays Julian, who runs a kickboxing gym in Bangkok which is really a front for the drug operation run by his mother. Her narration, voiced by co-star Kristin Scott Thomas, opens the ominously-toned footage and sets the stage for what looks like another gritty effort from Refn and Gosling. We also get brief looks at Vithaya Pansringarm as the Angel of Vengeance, a brutal former cop Julian is on a collision course with after the murder of his brother.

With Cliff Martinez (who also worked on Spring Breakers) back doing the score, combined with the quick flashes of brutality, the film bears more than a passing resemblance to Drive. Whether or not Only God Forgives is more warmly received we'll have to wait until July 19th to find out.


Only God Forgives by Teaser-Trailer.com

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Nicolas Winding Refn won't be directing 'The Equalizer'

The idea of Nicolas Winding Refn making the move into Hollywood features on a film like 1980s TV show remake The Equalizer always seemed strange. It just didn't fit, even with a star like Denzel Washington on board to make the transition a little smoother. Turns out Refn may have had second thoughts on it, as well, because Collider reports he's exited the picture.

Refn entered talks to direct it late last year, but they now say the deal with Sony never went through, falling apart at the last minute for unknown reasons. The film has been in development for a bit, with Paul Haggis once developing it with Russell Crowe to star, but it was the Refn/Washington combination that had many people excited. The cult TV show originally starred Edward Woodward as an ex-CIA operative who tries to make up for his past deeds by hiring himself out to people in desperate need of help.

Sony is on the hunt for a new director to take up the reins and keep the planned May start date.

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First teaser trailer for 'Only God Forgives' from Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn

Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn teamed up for one of the more unique action films of recent years with Drive, and in that partnership they found one another to be kindred spirits with a similar cinematic vision. While Gosling will no doubt continue to nurture his Hollywood leading man persona in movies like Gangster Squad, working with Refn gives him the chance to explore darker, more complex characters. Their next shot out of the gate is the Thai boxing crime flick, Only God Forgives, and the first footage has finally arrived.

Stylish, violent, and murky in a Chinatown sort of way, Only God Forgives has Gosling as a man exiled to Bangkok, where he runs a Thai boxing gym which is really just a front for his mother's(Kristin Scott Thomas) criminal empire. After his brother is murdered, he runs afoul of a brutal ex-cop known as the Angel of Vengeance. As you can see, there won't be any shortage of flying elbows, with Gosling throwing more than his fair share.

Easily one of the more eagerly awaited movies of the year, Only God Forgives is set to arrive on May 23rd. [via ThePlaylist]

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Nicolas Winding Refn to direct Denzel Washington in 'The Equalizer' remake

Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn forged one of the great, unique partnerships with Ryan Gosling, which so far has produced the excellent indie Drive, and the upcoming Thai crime flick, Only God Forgives.  As critically well-received as Drive was, it didn't do much stateside, and Refn is still looking for that one hit film to solidify his place among the elite Hollywood directors. One sure way to do that is to helm Denzel Washington's next film.

THR reports that Refn will direct The Equalizer, a remake of the 1980s TV series about an ex-CIA operative who tries to make up for his past deeds by hiring himself out to people in desperate need of help. Got a problem? You call the Equalizer. Refn had been on a shortlist of possible directors released last year, but he didn't seem like the most available choice back then. Washington was confirmed for the lead role just a few months ago. 

After being eyed by Paul Haggis for a time, the script was ultimately written by Richard Wenk(16 Blocks), and this one's now on the fast track with production to begin next spring for release on April 11th 2014.

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Denzel Washington confirmed for 'The Equalizer'

You have to give it up to Denzel Washington. For all the bellyaching I and others have done about him not really stretching himself as an actor anymore, the fact remains he's settled into a comfortable zone of highly successful, mature action flicks that keep him in the spotlight. And who knows? Maybe he'll shut guys like me up in November when Robert Zemeckis' Flight hits theaters, as it looks like the kind of film we haven't seen from Washington in years.

Back in December we learned that Sony was targeting Washington for The Equalizer, based on the 1980s TV series about an ex-agent(originally played by Edward Woodward) looking to atone for past sins by offering his protective and security services free of charge. Deadline reports that not only is the film now green lit, but that an April 2013 production date is set. Now the search for a director begins, and the names they're looking at show their commitment to making this more than just another mediocre remake of a cult TV show. Nicolas Winding Refn(Drive), Gavin O'Connor(Warrior), Gareth Evans(The Raid), and Pierre Morel(Taken) are all on the wishlist. All four would bring something totally different to the table, so whoever they choose is going to tell us a lot about the direction Sony is planning.

Washington is set to star with Mark Wahlberg in the action flick, 2 Guns, and there's also a comedy remake of Uptown Saturday Night alongside Will Smith. I'm really looking forward to that latter one, so let's hope this doesn't interfere with it.

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Sure Shots: Shailene Woodley; Nicolas Winding Refn; Gerard Butler

* Still riding high on the acclaim she received for playing George Clooney's rebellious daughter in The Descendants, Shailene Woodley has been awfully choosey about what she'll do next. While she's still juggling a number of potential opportunties, she's jumping at the chance to star in The Spectacular Now, based on the novel by Tim Tharp and directed by James Ponsoldt(Smashed). The story follows Sutter Keely, an alcoholic, hard partying high school senior who passes out and wakes up on Aimee's(Woodley) front lawn, and decides to date her merely as a social reclamation project. Instead, it's Aimee who teaches him a lesson about his current way of life not being all it's cracked up to be. The script comes from Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber(500 Days of Summer), with Shawn Levy on board to produce. [Variety]

* Here's what I like about Nicolas Winding Refn. All of his movies seem to fit perfectly into his wheelhouse. Strong, muscular movies that run counter to the typical Hollywood crap, with a distinctly European twist. While we wait for him to wrap up filming on Only God Forgives with his best bud, Ryan Gosling, Refn has been jumping into the producer arena. Not only is he producing a remake of his own original film, Pusher, but now he'll back a prequel to 1998 cult horror, Maniac Cop. William Lustig and Larry Cohen, who directed and wrote the original film about a serial killer dressed in a cop uniform, will return as producers but no director is in place yet. Could Refn take the job himself? Probably not, as he's already got a lot on his plate. After Only God Forgives wraps, he'll take on I Walk with the Dead starring Carey Mulligan, and the eventual remake of Logan's Run. [DailyGrindhouse]

* Gerard Butler has been all over the place lately, with one long gestating project finally landing a director, and Butler joining another another one. First, Tommy Wirkola(Dead Snow) will direct Afterburn, based on the graphic novel by Scott Chitwood and Paul Ens' about a future earth where the Eastern Hemisphere has been destroyed by a massive solar flare. In the aftermath, a team of recovery experts will venture into this dangerous hot zone and recover valuable artifacts. Antoine Fuqua had been lined up to direct at one point.

Next up, Butler has entered talks to star in the boringly titled Manhunt, an action film from Breck Eisner(Sahara) about a team of FBI agents who team with a renowned bear hunter to track down a domestic terrorist escaped into the North Carolina wilderness. Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby(Iron Man, Children of Men) wrote the script.

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1st look at Ryan Gosling in Nicolas Winding Refn's 'Only God Forgives'

There's been some developments relating to super duo Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling's follow-up to Drive, the Bangkok set crime flick, Only God Forgives. Last year, at the height of Refn's buzz, the film was due to be picked up by FilmDistrict for distribution. But due to some disagreements between them and Refn, the deal fell through, with The Weinstein Company and their Radius shingle picking up the rights. That's all geeky behind the scenes stuff, which we usually avoid here, but it's relevant in that the film will be seen here at all. That to me is very good news.

The Wild Bunch website has unearthed a first look image from the film, and while it doesn't show much, it's only the beginning of what sounds like another powerful, ultra violent effort from Gosling and Refn. Gosling plays the son of a Florida-based crime boss(Kristin Scott Thomas), banished to Thailand after a years old murder, now running the drug trade out of a boxing gym alongside his brother. When the brother kills a prostitute, he is then killed by a cop known as the Angel of Vengeance. Gosling then challenges the cop to a boxing match, as a means of getting some revenge for his family.

There'll be lots of swordplay and muay thai boxing action, and with Refn behind the camera lots of blood, too. Filming only got underway recently, so it may be awhile before we see Only God Forgives in theaters.  [Deadline]

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Carey Mulligan to star in Nicolas Winding Refn's I Walk With The Dead

One thing that's been readily apparent about Nicolas Winding Refn's upcoming neo-noir flick, Drive, is that he found a rather tight knit bunch that he'll likely be working with for years to come. He couldn't have lucked into a better group. His relationship with star Ryan Gosling is especially close, with the actor featuring in two of Refn's upcoming projects: the Bangkok set Only God Forgives, and then after that his remake of Logan's Run.  But Refn also hit it off with Carey Mulligan(An Education), who went so far as to stay in Refn's house during the filming of Drive. Just a week ago we learned that they'd be working together on something in the very near future, and now we know what that very racy film is going to be.

While accepting an award for  Gosling at the Deauville Film Festival held in France, Refn revealed the film will be called I Walk With the Dead, a thriller with "lots of sex". Not much in the way of details at this point, but ThePlaylist spoke to the director about this one almost two years ago and here's what he said back then...

“I’ve always wanted to make a movie with lots of sex,”So I wrote this story called, ‘I Walk With the Dead’ and it takes place in Miami and it’s just going to have a lot of sex in it. I have two films that are getting made with French investors and one is ‘Only God Forgives’ and one is ‘I Walk With the Dead.’ ”

So this will likely shoot right after Only God Forgives, and then he'll jump right into Logan's Run. Refn is really covering his genre bases, and considering the unique twists he's been able to add to literally every film he's made so far, I'm very curious to see where this one goes. For Mulligan, I'll watch her in anything, and this sounds like it may be her most courageous role yet. [THR]

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