An adaptation called DREDD has been filming with Karl Urban (LOTR, RED) as Judge Dredd and Olivia Thirlby (JUNO, THE DARKEST HOUR) as his sidekick-of-sorts Judge Anderson. Scripted by Alex Garland (SUNSHINE, 28 DAYS LATER) and directed by Pete Travis (VANTAGE POINT), there have been a few whisperings of trouble but all seems yet on track for the 3D movie’s September 21st release date. As far as DREDD goes, Wagner shared:
“The plot is about Dredd and his world. It’s impossible to cover every aspect of the character and his city – perhaps that was one of the failings of the first film; they tried to do too much and ended up with not a lot. “Dredd” homes in on the essential job of judging – instant justice in a violent future city. I like the actors, they’re well cast and they handled their parts well. Olivia Thirlby is perfect as Anderson, the young psi judge. She gives the character a touching vulnerability. Karl Urban will not remove his helmet and will not kiss his costar.”
And as for the equally-reviled-by-critics-and-fans-alike movie JUDGE DREDD which starred Sylvester Stallone that came out in 1995? Says Wagner:
“It didn’t have that much to do with Dredd the character as we know him. I don’t think Stallone was a bad Dredd, though it would have been better and lent him more cred if he hadn’t revealed his face… Some of the CGI was very good, and the re-creations of the Angel Gang and the robot. The robot actually came from a Pat Mills story and didn’t belong in Dredd, but it looked good. If the plot had revolved around characters like them the film would have been more successful.”