(Left) Charles Melton as Joe in ‘May December’. Photo: François Duhamel / Courtesy of Netflix. (Right) Sophie Thatcher as Iris in New Line Cinema’s ‘Companion,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Preview:
- Charles Melton and Sophie Thatcher have been cast in ‘Her Private Hell.’
- The movie marks Nicolas Winding Refn’s return to big screen work.
- Neon is backing the new movie.
If you’re a fan of Nicolas Winding Refn’s enigmatically stylistic take on thrillers, dramas and horror movies, you might have been waiting to see when he’d get back into the director’s chair for a new big screen project.
An edgy, hypnotic and unhinged thriller based on an original story that promises “lots of glitter, sex, and violence.” Read the Plot
The man behind ‘Drive,’ ‘Only God Forgives’ and ‘Pusher,’ has been busy working on TV series in the last few years, but thanks to a story in Deadline that reported Charles Melton nabbing a lead role, there was also a tweet from distributor Neon confirming he’s cooking up “something groovy” called ‘Her Private Hell,’ with Melton, Sophie Thatcher, Kristine Froseth and Havana Rose Liu in the cast.
Something groovy with Nicolas Winding Refn and…
Sophie Thatcher
Charles Melton
Kristine Froseth
Havana Rose Liu pic.twitter.com/GvOh5PIfSv— NEON (@neonrated) April 23, 2025
What’s the story of ‘Her Private Hell’?
Charles Melton attends Netflix’s ‘May December’ Los Angeles premiere at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Netflix.
This being Refn, most of the pertinent details are still being kept quiet for now. But if we know anything about what the man whose last movie was ‘The Neon Demon’ is coming up with, we can expect something dangerous and stylish.
The Danish director recently said his next film would shoot in Tokyo, Japan and would involve “lots of glitter, sex, and violence”.
Which is not all that surprising, since he does love a story set overseas (see: ‘Only God Forgives,’ which dives into Bangkok’s criminal underworld).
Related Article: Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman Talk Todd Haynes’ ‘May December’
What else has Nicolas Winding Refn worked on?
Elle Fanning stars in ‘The Neon Demon’. Photo: Amazon Studios.
As we mentioned, Refn last made theatrical release ‘The Neon Demon,’ and since then has been channeling his efforts into short films and TV series.
He wrote and directed fantasy/mystery short ‘Touch of Crude’ and last year brought us another short, ‘Beauty Is Not a Sin.’
There was also Prime Video’s 2019 miniseries ‘Too Old to Die Young,’ which starred Miles Teller as Detective Martin Jones, who leads a double life as a killer for hire in Los Angeles’ deadly underground. He suffers an existential crisis which leads him deeper into a blood splattered world of violence.
And in 2022, he was behind Netflix crime thriller series ‘Copenhagen Cowboy,’ which tracks Miu (Angela Bundalovic), who travels through Copenhagen’s criminal netherworld.
Perhaps more surprisingly, he was also the creator and executive producer on a new TV adaptation of Enid Blyton’s children’s book series ‘The Famous Five’ starting 2023.
It’s definitely not what we’d expect from Refn but he explained his reasoning for pursuing the project to Deadline:
“I didn’t read until I was 13 so TV was a big thing for me as an eight-year-old coming to the States. Scooby Doo had something that just magically transported me into this adventure land, so this feels like a very full circle that’s coming to completion. And I’m finally making something that my kids would actually watch. I’ve always liked the concept of not really wanting to be an adult; staying in ‘adventure land’ forever. ‘The Famous Five’ feels like one of the very few things that you literally hand down the generations.”
Where else can we see Charles Melton, Sophie Thatcher, Kristine Froseth and Havana Rose Liu?
(L to R) Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo with Charles Melton as Joe in ‘May December’. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.
Best known for his role as Reggie on the CW series ‘Riverdale,’ Melton has been on a roll in scoring roles in critically acclaimed films from interesting directors that kicked off with Netflix drama ‘May December,’ directed by Todd Haynes and also starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore.
Melton earned rave reviews and a Golden Globe nomination.
He most recently starred in the A24 pic ‘Warfare’ from directors Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza and recently wrapped production on the highly-anticipated second season of feud drama ‘Beef’ at Netflix.
Sophie Thatcher as Iris in New Line Cinema’s ‘Companion,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Thatcher, meanwhile, is best known for ‘The Boogeyman,’ ‘Heretic’ and, most recently, ‘Companion,’ and has a starring role in Showtime series ‘Yellowjackets.’
American-Norwegian actor Froseth played a young Betty Ford in Showtime’s ‘The First Lady’ and appeared in Apple TV+ series ‘The Buccaneers.’ Her recent movies include ‘Sharp Stick’ and ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline.’
Actress and model Havana Rose Liu made her name as the lead in the satirical comedy ‘Bottoms’ and recently appeared in Sundance hit ‘Lurker.’
She’s currently filming Jesse Eisenberg’s untitled musical comedy with A24 alongside Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti and Halle Bailey.
When will ‘Her Private Hell’ be in theaters?
Neither Neon nor Refn are saying anything about when the movie might be landing in theaters, but it could conceivably be ready for release next year.
Charles Melton attends Netflix’s ‘May December’ Los Angeles premiere at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Netflix.
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