Nicolas Winding Refn Could Direct Battle-To-The-Death Thriller BUTTON MAN

Drive worked out so well for director Nicolas Winding Refn that he's keeping violence front and center in many of his upcoming projects. Deadline reports that Refn is in talks to direct a film adaptation of Judge Dredd creator John Wagner's comic Button Man: The Killing Game.

Likely given the greenlight because of the recent success of The Hunger Games, the film follows an ex-cop named Harry Exton who is given a ton of money to compete in elaborate killing games against other highly trained killers, all organized by a group of bored millionaires. Exton backs out of the games, but realizes that his only true way out may be to go after the organizers themselves.

I would have been pumped about this premise 15 years ago, but it's become such a cliche that it's tough to muster any excitement these days. Then again, Refn's Drive had the simple and cliched plot and he ended up bringing an incredible style to that film that made it one of my favorites of last year. No deal has been signed yet, but it's certainly plausible that Refn's favorite collaborator Ryan Gosling would appear in this project, since they've worked together twice already and have a Logan's Run remake lined up for the future, too.

Do you think Refn can provide a shot of adrenaline to an otherwise stale genre?