Nicolas Winding Refn’s next venture, The Neon Demon, is set to explore a new cinematic terrain for the esoteric director. Described by the helmer as a “horror film about vicious beauty,” there’s certainly plenty of beautiful faces joining his starry cast. Variety reports that John Wick lead Keanu Reeves, Mad Men star Christina Hendricks, The Hunger Games‘ Jena Malone and Dark Shadows‘ Bella Heathcote will be subjecting themselves to Refn’s will for his upcoming L.A.-based tale.
The trade doesn’t offer any further details on the characters that the four actors look set to play, but the quartet will join Maleficent‘s Elle Fanning, toplining the project as “an aspiring model who is caught in a world of beauty and demise,” and Abbey Lee, as “a cool ringleader that other girls want to follow. Envious, emotionally unstable and a tad delusional, she shows her true maniacal colors in the end.” If those two previous profiles are any indication, then it’s likely that our newcomers won’t be free from the tyranny and craziness that Refn has in store…
The Neon Demon will be Refn’s first proper foray into the horror genre; a leap that’s not entirely unsurprising consider his previous work. Drive and Only God Forgives both boasted an eerie absence of emotion in their leading men – both played by Ryan Gosling – and a haunted visual style that lends itself to the realms of bona fide fear.
Here’s what Refn had to say regarding his inspiration for the flick:
“One morning I woke and realized I was both surrounded and dominated by women. Strangely, a sudden urge was planted in me to make a horror film about vicious beauty. After making Drive and falling madly in love with the electricity of Los Angeles, I knew I had to return to tell the story of The Neon Demon. This movie is a manifestation of the strong ties between us and will lead to many more adventures.”
The Neon Demon is scheduled to commence filming on March 30th.