Nicolas Winding Refnis officially returning to direct his first feature film in 10 years withHer Private Hell, a star-studded new thriller that is co-financed and distributed by Neon Pictures. The social media accounts for the studio, which was previously behind such high-profile projects asLonglegs,Anora,andParasite,teased the latest title on its roster with a post (shared below) containing a single image, a casting announcement, and a brief message that described the mysterious movie as “something groovy.”
The cast so far features Sophie Thatcher (Companion), Charles Melton (Warfare), Kristine Froseth (Apostle), and Havana Rose Liu (No Exit). Their roles remain under wraps, as little is known about the latest project from Refn. The director, whose past credits includeDrive,Only God Forgives, andBronson,previously told Variety that he plans to start shooting his next movie, which could beHer Private Hell, in Japan’s busy capital of Tokyoat some point during 2025. However, it’s worth noting that Refn also hasThe Avenging Silencecoming up, but hereportedly filmed that in secret last year, so it’s unclear which project he was referring to.
5 Reasons Nicolas Winding Refn Is an Underrated Director
Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the most exciting filmmakers in the game, and here are five reasons why everyone should pay more attention to his work.
Refn further hinted that his big-screen comeback will revisit themes and possibly even characters inspired by his last features, includingthe decidedly divisiveThe Neon Demon, an ultra-stylized horror satire about beauty. However, his newest movie will be based on an original story that “will have a lot of glitter and lot of sex and violence,” according to the Danish director. The project is also expected to be in both English and Japanese, though no details about the plot were shared, only that he is looking forward to getting back behind the camera to work on a feature film for the first time in a decade. He explained to the outlet:
“It’s a really interesting time to make movies because it’s such a chaotic situation. So going back and making a theatrical feature film again is almost like — not starting over — but with all the changes in our societies in the last five years and technology changes, it almost seems like the right thing to do for me.”
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Last Feature Film Proved Polarizing
Her Private Hellcould mark the first feature film from Refn sinceThe Neon Demon,starring Elle Fanning. That movie competed for the prestigious Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 before making its theatrical debut. It elicited strong reactions at opposite ends of the critical spectrum, with some people lauding it as a masterpiece, while others found it to be a pretentious endeavor. The Rotten Tomatoes ratings for the psychological horror-thriller reflect its divisive nature, with a score of 59% from critics and 51% from audiences.
AfterThe Neon Demon, Refn shifted his focus to short films, music videos, and television series. The most notable additions to his director’s filmography in recent years includeToo Old to Die Youngat Amazon andCopenhagen Cowboyfor Netflix. Healso produced the BBC’sThe Famous Five,a reimagined adaptation of the classic Enid Blyton children’s book series of the same name. These projects helped to further establish Refn as one to watch, andHer Private Hellis certainly likely to draw plenty of eyes when it eventually debuts.
