Having spent several years in development, it was reported earlier this year that the Nicolas Winding Refn-produced Maniac Cop was set to finally move forward this summer under director John Hyams (Universal Soldier: Regeneration) from a script by Ed Brubaker (Captain America: The Winter Soldier).
However, since then we’ve had no further updates, and it seems the project may have fallen apart, with Larry Cohen – screenwriter of the original film – has told Birth.Movies.Death that he believes the remake is dead.
“As far as I know, that’s not happening anymore, and if it is, they might be trying to keep it a secret, as they’d owe me $250,000,” said Cohen. “Ed Brubaker wrote the script, and I’ve read the script, and it’s not very good. Ed Brubaker is a very good writer of comic books, I think. But if he’s written a good script for a movie, I haven’t read it. I wrote six new scenes for the picture, based on what I’d read. And, had I written the whole script, the movie would probably be happening, as the script would be good. I wrote three films for Bill Lustig, though they changed a lot of [Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence] and Bill got fired from it…and I would’ve written the fourth movie, had they asked. But they didn’t, and now it’s not getting made.”
Cohen also went on to blame Refn for the project stalling, adding that: “As far as I know, he was the one trying to get the money raised to make the picture, and he didn’t get it, so now it’s not happening. If it is, I would like to be paid, or I’m going to call my lawyer, and it’s getting shut down.”
Are you disappointed that we won’t be getting a new Maniac Cop movie, or was the project unnecessary from the start?
Originally published October 1, 2017. Updated December 1, 2022.
