Nicolas Winding Refn Shares His Dream of Making a Batgirl Film at Cannes
In a recent interview, filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn shared his thoughts on the struggles of adapting established intellectual properties, particularly the shelved film Batgirl.
Refn reflected on the emotional weight of his own projects, stating, “Because Wonder Woman is done, that one I thought was super heavy.” The fate of Batgirl became especially complex after Warner Bros. Discovery, under CEO David Zaslav, shelved a nearly completed version of the film in August 2022. Created by directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the movie was intended for HBO Max but was met with disappointment from its filmmakers. Its cancellation reportedly stemmed from concerns that it would disrupt storylines in Andy Muschietti’s upcoming film, The Flash. The production, which exceeded $70 million, led the studio to take a tax writedown.
When asked about the appeal of Batgirl, Refn praised its aesthetics: “The costumes, I love the aesthetics. A lot of Her Private Hell is my obsession with dolls, objects and how to move people around in space and time. I loved the objectification of objects, and superheroes and comic-books and that whole sub-culture. It’s where I come from. I collect Japanese toys, I play with Legos…”
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Despite his appreciation for the genre, Refn prefers original storytelling. “I don’t know if I’ll make an actual IP,” he remarked, emphasizing his desire to follow in the footsteps of one of his idols, director Elia Kazan, by creating films that reflect his unique vision.
Curious about the hypothetical scenario of directing Spider-Man, Refn received a playful response from Rose Havana Liu, star of Her Private Hell, who quipped, “the slowest swing.”
Refn’s latest film, Her Private Hell, is set to make its world premiere tonight at the Grand Theatre Lumiere in Cannes, before its theatrical release by Neon on July 24.
