Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell Locks Summer Release
NEON locks a summer release for Her Private Hell, marking Nicolas Winding Refn’s first feature in a decade.
Nicolas Winding Refn is finally stepping back into the movie world after a decade away from feature films—yes, it’s actually been ten years since The Neon Demon. His return comes in the form of a serial killer thriller called Her Private Hell. If you’re into Refn’s brand of stylish weirdness, odds are you’ve been waiting for this one (and, honestly, wondering what took so long).
Release Plan—And Cannes Comes First
Details on Her Private Hell have been kept under tighter wraps than a Marvel spoiler. But that’s about to change fast: the film makes its world premiere out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival later this month. After Refn’s little French vacation, distributor NEON steps in with a surprisingly solid summer release window. The U.S. hits are set for July 24, and NEON will launch it in between 800 and 1,200 theaters—so, more than an 'arthouse only' situation, but not exactly a Marvel-wide takeover either.
And speaking of Marvel, here’s some release-date context: Her Private Hell opens sandwiched between Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey on July 17 and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31. So, Refn’s serial killer plot is squeezed between a space epic and a superhero reset. Who says summer is all blockbusters?
So, What Do We Know About the Movie?
This thing has been mysterious enough to spawn its own conspiracy theories. Basic plot details? Maybe two sentences, max. Here’s what Deadline could dig up: the movie apparently weaves together a bunch of different stories, with the action set in a future metropolis where a group of actresses land in a luxury hotel to film something that sounds very Barbarella (so, expect some sci-fi mindgames). Out in the city, a killer stalking women is on the loose—he’s called Leather Man (subtlety never was Refn’s strong suit).
Refn cooked up the story himself, co-writing with Esti Giordani, who’s done a ton of TV work—from The Skinny and I Love Dick to Room 104, Vida, and Stick.
The Cast: Plenty of Rising (and Risen) Stars
Still zero details on who’s playing what, but the cast is pretty stacked:
- Sophie Thatcher (Companion)
- Kristine Froseth (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser)
- Havana Rose Liu (No Exit)
- Charles Melton (Warfare)
- Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II)
- Diego Calva (Babylon)
- Aoi Yamada (Perfect Days)
- Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool & Wolverine)
- Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car)
Still, no word on who’s the hero, who’s the victim, or who’s busy acting in the movie-within-the-movie, but at least it’ll be a good-looking murder spree.
The Refn Universe: Where Has He Been?
It’s weird to think Refn hasn’t made a feature since The Neon Demon, but he’s been active in other corners of media. In the last ten years, he steered two streaming shows: the hyper-noir Too Old to Die Young for Prime Video, and Copenhagen Cowboy on Netflix, both packed with the signature Refn look and mood. On top of that, he’s directed some super-stylish shorts for Prada—yep, genuine high fashion, like Touch of Crude in 2022.
If you’re just catching up: Refn exploded onto the international scene in 2011 with Drive, but his resume goes way deeper, from the Pusher trilogy to Bronson, Valhalla Rising, and Only God Forgives. He even had a hand in the experimental, multi-director project Circus Maximus. Since Drive, nothing has really caught the same mainstream fire, but he’s stayed sharp, and his name still draws genre fans.
Countdown to More Details
We’ll start hearing a lot more about Her Private Hell after its Cannes debut—and, frankly, about time. With a killer on the loose, actresses trapped in a hotel, and Refn’s trademark neon-lit oddness, this one should at least be worth keeping an eye on (even if you just want to see what a 'Barbarella-y' movie from Refn looks like in 2024).