After eight years working in TV, Nicolas Winding Refn may be about to return to the big screen. World Of Reel reports that the Danish auteur and general enfant terrible plans to start shooting his first film since 2016’s “The Neon Demon” in Korea this September. And yes, Refn heads, the Korea setting means that NWR’s next feature is what you suspect it is: his long-in-the-works spy movie “The Avenging Silence.”
A listing in Production Weekly confirms the production start date in Korea, and features a previously reported synopsis (which is extensive; and beware of spoilers). So, nothing new in the PW listing. But NWR has talked about making “The Avenging Silence” for years now, and as early as 2013. The project is a blend of “James Bond” and classics likes “Le Samouraï” and “Tokyo Drifter,” about a mute ex-spy brought out of retirement to kill off an exiled Yakuza boss. Bond alums Robert Wade and Neal Purvis pen the script for Refn, who last year called “The Avenging Silence” his “last grand finale” and the “endeavor of his soul.”
But NWR has teased fans about this project in countless ways over years: it’ll be a “big extravagant action film;” a 2016 tweet paired book covers of “Dr. No” and “The Soft Machine” with the accompanying text, “Ian Fleming + William Burroughs + NWR = The Avenging Silence.” And given the time that’s gone by, “The Avenging Silence” could be a much different story now than the original extensive synopsis from 2017. NWR’s recent work in long-form TV shows may become a factor, too. Refn could want to stay in a similar register, making the project into a film franchise or another series. Expect confirmation on that (including a cast list) over the summer as production approaches.
Still, a new Refn project is cause for excitement, especially a new film. Refn’s recent work has all been in TV, including 2019’s “Too Old To Die Young” and 2023’s “Copenhagen Cowboy.” He also created and produced the BBC kids series “The Famous Five” last year, based on the Enid Blyton book series of the same name. But it’s NWR’s films that made a favorite for cinephiles who like neon-splashed, super-violent crime movies. Refn’s “Pusher” trilogy stay fairly grounded in realism, but movies like “Drive,” “Only God Forgives,” and “The Neon Demon” cemented the Danish director’s legacy and signature style. Other NWR films include “Bronson,” “Valhalla Rising,” and “Bleeder.”
So will “The Avenging Silence” be Nicolas Winding Refn’s crowning achievement? Only time will tell. But the movie business needs more minds like NWR’s: an unapologetic artist who lives to crib and blend genre styles, and one of the sanest commentators on the current state of Hollywood. Let’s hope “The Avenging Silence” ends up everything Refn hopes (and boasts) it’ll be; movies need it.