Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s last foray into television, “Too Old To Die Young,” was also his last project altogether. The 2019 miniseries premiered at the Cannes Film Festival that year, then hit Amazon Prime Video shortly afterward. And what was the verdict on the show? Well, it was …certainly directed by Refn, so, in other words, it was grim, graphic, stylish, and didn’t entirely live up to its potential.
But that hasn’t stopped Refn from making yet another miniseries, and this time, Deadline reports, he’s teamed up with Netflix to make it happen. And “Copenhagen Cowboy” isn’t just a big deal because it’s Refn’s first work in three years and his first affiliated with the streamer. It’s also the director’s first production in his native country in fifteen years, making it a homecoming of sorts for the divisive auteur.
So, what’s “Copenhagen Cowboy” about, anyway? Well, it’s…a NWF project, so, in other words, it’s, as Netflix puts it, “a thrill-inducing, neon-drenched noir series” about a young heroine who becomes immersed into Copenhagen’s criminal underworld. So, more grim, graphic, and stylish content from Refn that may or may not live up to its potential. Refn sounds excited about the series, though. “With “Copenhagen Cowboy,” I am returning to my past to shape my future by creating a series, an expansion of my constantly evolving alter-egos, now in the form of my young heroine, Miu,” he told Deadline. As per usual, Refn sounds pretty full of himself here, but that’s hardly a surprise when it comes to the “The Neon Demon” director.
All jokes aside, Refn remains one of the great contemporary crime directors, despite an uneven output. Refn first made his mark on world cinema with his “Pusher” trilogy about, you guessed it, the Danish criminal underworld, before he made ultra-stylized, hyper-masculine movies like 2008’s “Bronson,” 2011’s “Drive,” and 2013’s “Only God Forgives.” He then made the ultra-stylized, hyper-feminine “The Neon Demon,” which has something (or nothing, depending on whether or not you like Refn) to say about beauty and LA’s fashion industry. “Too Old To Die Young,” Refn’s underworld epic, brings us up to date.
“Copenhagen Cowboy” stars Angela Bundalovic as Miu, an ingenue turned criminal. The series also stars Lola Corfixen, Zlatko Buric, and Andreas Lykke Jørgensen. Jason Hendil-Forssell, Li Ii Zhang, Dragana Milutinovic, Mikael Bertelsen, and Mads Brügger round out the main cast.
The upcoming series might be the start of a beautiful (or grueling) partnership between Refn and Netflix. “Collaborating with Netflix and bringing this show to life has been an absolutely wonderful experience on all levels,” said Refn. “I not only perceive them as my partners with many future adventures to come, but also as my friends. The new term has been born: Netflix Winding Refn.” We’ll pause here to let the reader audibly groan at this if they feel obliged to.
No word on when “Copenhagen Cowboy” hits Netflix, but expect the six-episode series on the platform sometime this Fall. In the meantime, rewatch “Drive” to get a Refn fix before the series premieres, perhaps avoiding the rest of his filmography, which is overrated.
