Earlier this year, IM Global had entered a partnership with Rebellion to create a TV series based on the comic-book property to be titled JUDGE DREDD: MEGA-CITY ONE. As soon as the news broke, fans of Pete Travis' 2012 action sci-fi adaptation DREDD were eager to know if Karl Urban would once again don the character's signature helmet in an effort to lay down the law for the forthcoming show. Urban was quick to respond by saying "I am in discussions with them about that. I told them that if they write the material and give Dredd something to do and give him a function, I will be there. I would love to."
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Understandably, this got a lot of people excited, but developments on the matter were quickly left a mystery as talk about the show began to fade from public discussion. These days, the world of comics-to-film moves very fast, and what's the cat's pajamas today might very well become old news at the mere mention of another promising project on the horizon.
Recently, while attending a press junket for Marvel's THOR: RAGNAROK, in which he plays Skurge, Urban told Screen Rant what he needs to make returning to the Dredd character a reality. “I’ve had many discussions with them [Rebellion] about my involvement, of which I am interested, and I said to them, ‘Listen, if you write a character that has a function and a purpose and contributes to the overall story, then I might be very interested in reprising that role,'” he said. “I certainly wouldn’t want to step into it and just pay lip service to the movie. There has to be some material there that warrants further exploration of that character. So the ball’s in their court.”
Previously, producer Jason Kingsley explained that JUDGE DREDD: MEGA-CITY ONE would expand upon the DREDD universe, focusing on individual members of the law-abiding task force as opposed to the program focusing entirely on Dredd's exploits. With this in mind, I can totally understand where Urban might feel a bit of trepidation in regard to returning for the role that so many fans are clamoring for. With that said, there's still time for Urban to come aboard the project, as Kingsley has stated that we're at least two years away (at the time) from seeing the finished product.
What do you all think? Would it be enough to have Urban return for something akin to a walk-on part, or do you need him to lead the charge in the fight to keep Mega-City One from falling into unlawful ruin? Personally, I'm excited to experience more characters and stories in the DREDD universe, and don't particularly need Urban to be involved in order for it to be of interest. While I do agree that it would be amazing to see him return to the role, I understand why Urban has stipulations for the project to be worth his time and effort. For now, we'll just have to wait and see what comes of this promising project, and hope for the very best.
You can catch Karl Urban as Skurge in THOR: RAGNAROK which is set to open in theaters on November 2nd.