Gosling, Winding Refn team up again (VAR, TWITCH, 24F, HWT)

By Nancy Tartaglione

Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn will continue their collaboration with the French-backed "Only God Forgives." Kristin Scott Thomas also stars in the Bangkok-set revenge story. Gaumont and Wild Bunch are co-producing and co-financing and will share international sales.

Twitch first reported the news on Thursday with Variety confirming.

Shooting will start in November for a second semester 2012 delivery.

Luke Evans was initially attached to the project but, had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with "The Hobbit," Wild Bunch confirmed to Wiretap.

Meanwhile, the duo of Winding Refn and Gosling, who collaborated on Cannes hit "Drive," also spoke with The Los Angeles Times' 24 Frames blog about their plans for a "Logan's Run" update.

"'Logan's Run' is dated in the sense that everything came true," Refn told 24 Frames. "They've been trying to make it for years with the notion of just trying to remake the original movie. And it has to be rethought."

Gosling said they intend to "put together a team of futurists and artists and we'll dream on this world."

"We're still in the stage of trying to figure out the rules of the road," Refn told 24F. Added Gosling: "Joel [Silver] said the other night, 'Take your time and make it good. It doesn't have to be ready at any point.'"

Here's a synopsis of "Only God Forgives":

Englishman Julian Hopkins runs a Thai Boxing club in Bangkok. It's a cover for an international heroin operation: Julian's from a powerful criminal family back in the UK and he's been overseeing the operation for ten years. He makes a lot of money, he has as many women and as much drugs as he wants and he's a respected figure in the underworld, but there's an emptiness eating him up.

His world is turned upside down when his brother Billy murders a prostitute. The body's discovered and the police call in The Angel Of Vengeance - a retired cop turned vigilante, real name Chang. Chang allows the murdered girl's father to kill Billy, then 'restores order' by chopping off the father's right hand.

Seeking vengeance, Julian tracks down Billy's killer, but when he sees the stump where his hand once was and gets a glimpse of Chang's karmic justice, the axis of his world changes: he sees a chance of salvation and swears to find Chang.

This doesn't wash with Julian's mother. Jenna's on the next flight to Bangkok and she wants answers. She's a force to be reckoned with, and when Julian tries to explain that Chang has restored karmic justice, she explodes: her son is dead - she doesn't want to hear about karma, she wants him to raise hell!

Increasingly obsessed with what the Angel of Vengeance represents, Julian challenges Chang to a boxing match, hoping that by defeating the vigilante he might at last find peace...but Chang triumphs. A furious Jenna plots revenge and the stage is set for a brutal journey through rage, betrayal and bloody vengeance towards a final confrontation and the possibility of redemption.

Related Links

Gosling goes with 'Only God Forgives' (VAR, sub)
Ryan Gosling Joins Cast Of Nicolas Winding Refn's ONLY GOD FORGIVES (TWITCH)
How will 'Logan's Run' get remade? (24F)