Maniac Cop -- a television reboot of the William Lustig-directed horror movie trilogy of the same name -- has been greenlit by HBO.
According to Deadline, the new Maniac Cop series comes from Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn and John Hyams (Universal Soldier: Regeneration, Legacies), both of whom will executive produce and direct. The series will be the first production for byNWR Originals, Refn's independent studio. HBO is set to air Maniac Cop in North America, with Canal+ picking up the rights to broadcast the series in France.
The original Maniac Cop film was released in 1988 and starred the likes of Bruce Campbell, Tom Atkins, Laurene Landon and Robert Z'Dar. It follows a murderous ex-police officer (played by Z'Dar) who has returned from the dead in order to seek vengeance on those who wronged him in life. Maniac Cop has gained a cult following in the years since its release. Moreover, it spawned two sequels -- Maniac Cop 2 and Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence -- which were released in 1990 and 1993, respectively.
Refn has attempted to make a Maniac Cop remake for some time now. The project was originally announced as a feature film at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016, with Hyams attached to direct. Plans to shoot the movie in 2017 fell through, however, and the project eventually morphed into a TV series.
"I’ve always been a devoted admirer of John Hyams,” Refn said of his collaborator on Maniac Cop. "We’ve been talking about a reimagining of the Maniac Cop films for a number of years, but as we continued to work on the material, we found ourselves wanting to explore the world we were creating in greater depth. Turning Maniac Cop into a series will allow us to realize our wildest ambitions and to reach an enormous audience though partners HBO and Canal+. This show will be an unadulterated, action-packed horror odyssey. Given the current state of the world, though, Maniac Cop will also be a strong commentary on the decline of civilization."
HBO's Maniac Cop does not have a release date. Refn will serve as showrunner, with both he and Hyams directing the entire season. Nick Hall, Lene Borglum, Frederic Fiore, Alex Gayner, Efe Cakarel and original Maniac Cop director William Lustic will also executive produce.