After 'Drive,' Nicolas Winding Refn was hot. Sure, the film did just so-so stateside, but he also won the best director prize at Cannes. And though he's in post-production on his upcoming 'Only God Forgives,' word has hit that he may be producing a prequel to the 80's cult classic 'Maniac Cop.'

This word (which we heard first from Badass Digest) came from Daily Grindhouse, who talked with Larry Cohen, and it was Cohen who mentioned Refn's involvement and his excitement and the project moving forward.  Cohen wrote the original 'Maniac Cop' which was directed by William Lustig - who now runs Blue Underground. Cohen also talked about having more of a budget than before, and that it's something of a prequel.

Obviously this isn't happening just yet, but Refn throwing in should help with international financing. The marketplace has changed so much that it's hard to know if something like this could go theatrical domestically without a name attached, and previous stars Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell and the Maniac Cop himself Robert Z'Dar aren't enough to get this out there. But Larry ('It's Alive,' 'Q') Cohen and William ('Maniac') Lustig made some of the most memorable (and sometimes great) B movies of the 1970's and 80's, so it would be good to have them back working.

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