I wrote about the new Judge Dredd film in the works, and the news making rounds is that actor Karl Urban (Star Trek) has been casted in the title role.
Producer Andrew Macdonald said that their idea is to make a gritty, realistic, hard R-rated film that will do the comic book justice. Macdonald along with other producers are insistent on getting the tone right, which they felt the prior Judge Dredd movie didn’t do. And, unlike the prior film, this one will feature Judge Dredd with his helmet — which won’t be taken off.
The film will be shot in Johannesburg with the same crew who filmed District 9, with Pete Travis directing. John Wagner — who is the main writer for the comic books — will be involved in every decision for the movie.
The news for this second try at a Judge Dredd film adaptation has been increasingly good for fans of the comic books. As much as I enjoyed the original adaptation, this one has a lot of potential to become an excellent comic book film.
I am exited to death about this. However im not sure realism is really something to shoot for given the nature of the book. Just the same though, as long as they’re not afraid to keep the humor, gore and satire, this is going to be drokkin great.
I really hope they do keep it graphic and gritty. Successful comic books are popular for a reason, so changing the concept and tone makes for a disappointing movie.