Nicolas Winding Refn, the filmmaker who, of late, has gained some esteem and controversy with his last two films Drive and Only God Forgives, will be moving up to his first studio production with Sony, as he is now in talks to direct the haunted house horror movie The Bringing.
As Deadline first reported, Refn has entered early talks to direct the spec script written by Brandon and Phillip Murphy about the true story of a woman who was found dead in a water tank on the roof of a downtown Los Angeles hotel. In addition to her mysterious death, the film will also center on the man who tried to figure out his death and the unknown circumstances that happen to him.
Sony bought the rights to the spec back in February after a competitive bidding battle. Although Refn is sought after for a number of projects, this was a film that he actually came to Sony to direct instead of the other way around.
Although he has never truly dived into the genre before, he is apparently a huge fan of horror, with a strong understanding of what makes them tick. While this would be his first direct passage into horror filmmaking, he has made a number of unsettling films, which would suggest that he will fit in well with this type of filmmaking.
Producing the film will be Matt Tolmach (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Daniela Cristina Cretu.