‘The Famous Five’: Nicolas Winding Refn Working As Creator & Producer On Upcoming Children’s TV Series

When you think of films and TV series by filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, you think of dark, gritty stories. These are stories where anyone can die at any moment and the lines between good and bad are awfully blurry. What you probably don’t imagine from the filmmaker is a TV series aimed at children about fun adventures. Well, it appears that’s what Refn is working on next with “The Famous Five.”

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According to THR, Nicolas Winding Refn is serving as creator and producer of a new TV series, “The Famous Five,” which is being made for the BBC and German public broadcaster ZDF. “The Famous Five” is based on the classic children’s novel series by author Enid Blyton. Each story follows four children, Julian, Dick, Anne, and George, and their dog Timmy as they find themselves caught up in various adventures. There are 21 novels written by Blyton about the group of children, released between 1942 and 1963. 

“All my life I’ve fought vigorously to remain a child with a lust for adventure,” Refn said. “By reimagining ‘The Famous Five,’ I am preserving that notion by bringing these iconic stories to life for a progressive new audience, instilling the undefinable allure and enchantment of childhood for current and future generations to come.”

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Refn, of course, is probably best known for his film work on features such as “Drive,” “The Neon Demon,” and “Only God Forgives.” Most recently, he’s been working in TV, with series like “Too Old to Die Young” and his most recent project, “The Copenhagen Cowboy.”

The new series is co-written by Matthew Read, Priya K Dosanjh, and Matthew Bouch. Tim Kirkby is directing the series. The filmmaker is probably best known for directing Mike Myer’s comedy series, “The Pentaverate,” as well as films such as “Last Looks” and “Action Point.”

It’s unclear when we might see “The Famous Five” on TV. However, production is said to be underway now, so it looks like the series is coming sooner rather than later.