Holy hell, it's quite the afternoon for cool comic book-related announcements. Shortly after receiving word that brothers Donald Glover and Stephen Glover of ATLANTA fame will executively produce and write a DEADPOOL animated series for FXX, Entertainment Weekly has revealed that the independent entertainment studio IM Global in a partnership with games developer and publisher Rebellion are in the process of creating a TV show based on the comic book character Judge Dredd.
The show will be called JUDGE DREDD: MEGA CITY ONE, and will be set in a future where the East Coast of the U.S. has become a crowded and crime-ridden megalopolis. Rather than it being a Judge "Joseph" Dredd solo venture, the show will be presented as an ensemble drama featuring a team of judges – futuristic cops invested with the power to be judge, jury, and executioner – as they encounter the myriad challenges of a world in which east-coast cities have merged into a giant megalopolis. Despite its 22nd century setting, many of the issues they encounter will have echoes of those today – from the dangers of domestic terrorism to the tensions between the ultra-rich and the disenfranchised.
Executive producing the series will be Stern, IM Global Television CEO Stuart Ford, and Jason and Chris Kingsley, who executive produced the 2012 feature film adaptation DREDD from, which was co-financed by Reliance Entertainment and IM Global. The show is already in the early development stages with acting talent to be officially announced soon.
When asked to comment on the upcoming project, Stern said, “This is one of those seminal sci-fi properties that seems to only become more relevant with age. Not only is it a rich world with biting social commentary, but it’s also fun as hell! As a fan of the comics and both films, it’s a dream come true to be able to work with Jason and Chris in adapting this for television.”
Then, Jason and Chris Kingsley chimed in by saying, “We’re very excited to be beginning the journey to get more of Judge Dredd’s Mega-City One on the television screen. Thanks to the legions of fans who have kept up pressure on social media, and a lot of background work and enthusiasm, we aim to make a big budget production that will satisfy both our vast comics audience and the even greater general screen-watching public.”
The Judge Dredd character was created in 1977 by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. Making his first appearance in the British science fiction anthology comic 2000 AD, Dredd is primarily known for his take-no-prisoners attitude toward achieving justice as well as his iconic upper-face-concealing helmet. In the past, the character has been adapted for big screen features a total of two times. Action superstar Sylvester Stallone portrayed the character in 1995's JUDGE DREDD, while Karl Urban represented the law-abiding future cop in 2012's DREDD – which was positively awesome and should have been granted a sequel, dammit!
So what do you think? Are you down for a JUDGE DREDD TV adaptation? I'll say this, if Dredd's new TV world is anything like what I've seen in the comics, you count me the hell in! In the meantime, I think I'll give DREDD another watch, which is available on Digital, DVD, and Bu-Ray now.