Nicolas Winding Refn‘s Drive has been dubbed, by various online sources, as something of a box-office letdown, which I don’t quite understand. It’s made over $50 million worldwide on a modest $15 million budget — and despite the cost of marketing, there’s a substantial profit to be made there. And that being said, the future collaborations of Refn and star Ryan Gosling are likely to be anticipated by crowds outside of the cinephile clique — even those who didn’t like Drive, frankly, have probably been left with a strong impression nonetheless.
In 2012, they have scheduled Only God Forgives, which Refn will both write and direct, and which will co-star acclaimed actress Kristin Scott Thomas (I’ve Loved You So Long, Sarah’s Key). And after that they’ve agreed to take on a remake of Michael Anderson‘s 1976 sci-fi thriller Logan’s Run.
Thus far, the screenwriting duties have bounced around amongst several sources — Alex Garland (Never Let Me Go) turned in an initial draft, while Will Beall (The Gangster Squad) followed that up with his input. But Refn and company must be looking for something different, as Warner Bros. has hired scribe Andrew Baldwin to come in and splice together his own take on the material. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Baldwin was behind the 2008 Black List script The West is Dead, which is set “during the Great Depression, [where] a group of semi-outlaws go on the run from the law when forced to vacate a town as the Hoover dam is constructed.” Gosling and Refn have a slew of other upcoming projects, too. To read up on those, which include a potentially Albert Brooks-scripted romantic comedy and a Carey Mulligan-starring “movie about women,” click here.
Which of these upcoming projects are you anticipating the most? Are you worried about the hiring of a third screenwriter for Logan’s Run?