Lionsgate has grabbed U.S. distribution rights to Dredd, the upcoming adaptation of the classic 2000AD comic book Judge Dredd. It’s in preproduction right now with Karl Urban in the title role.
The script was written by Alex Garland of 28 Days Later (and Enslaved:Odyssey to the West!) fame and the film was directed by Pete Travis (Vantage Point). Dredd will be shot in South Africa in CONDEMNING 3D.
The synopsis, which tells you nothing- DREDD takes us to the wild streets of Mega City One, the lone oasis of quasi-civilization on Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot – if necessary. The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and the frenetic vision of director Peter Travis bring DREDD to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film that returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s revered comic strip.
But judging (er) from the synopsis everyone involved would probably wish you
forgot the 1995 version, and that’s generally a good decision.
This isn’t the only action movie that Lionsgate has picked up- THR reports that Dredd was actually part of a three picture deal for the studio. Less is known about the other two other than that they’re also action flicks, but one is titled Safe. Written and directed by Boaz Yakin (Remember The Titans) it’s set to star Jason Statham. The third flick is a movie called Protection by director Simon West (Con Air, Tomb Raider) which stars Dwayne Johnson and is perhaps his next attempt after Faster to get into R-rated action.