In the mid-‘90s, Sylvester Stallone brought 2000 A.D.’s Judge Dredd character to the big screen in a movie aptly titled Judge Dredd. Unfortunately, the movie was rated PG-13, Rob Schneider co-starred as a supposedly comedic sidekick, and Dredd took off his helmet a bunch of times, so fans were bitterly disappointed by it.
Then, in 2012, the character recovered from this failure when director Pete Travis and screenwriter Alex Garland teamed up for Dredd, an R-rated feast of ultraviolence starring Karl Urban as a much more faithful on-screen incarnation of the role.
Duncan Jones Turned Down The Chance To Direct
Duncan Jones, the director of Moon and Source Code (and, interestingly enough, the son of David Bowie), was offered the chance to direct Dredd, but he turned it down.
He thought that Alex Garland’s script was great, but had a very different vision for a Judge Dredd film and wouldn’t want to compromise that to suit Garland’s script.
Michael Biehn Auditioned To Play Judge Dredd
Before Karl Urban was cast to play the title character in Dredd, Michael Biehn auditioned for the part. He was also reportedly considered to take the role of Max Rockatansky from Mel Gibson for Mad Max: Fury Road before the role was given to Tom Hardy.
Biehn has appeared in some of the most legendary science fiction movies ever made, including James Cameron’s The Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss.
Lena Headey Actually Has A Lot Of Ma-Ma’s Tattoos
In the original script for Dredd, Ma-Ma was an old lady, but Lena Headey wanted the role so badly that she managed to convince screenwriter Alex Garland to retool the character as a middle-aged woman so that she could play her.
Apparently, Headey actually has a lot of Ma-Ma’s tattoos. She usually has to sit in a makeup chair before shooting her projects to get them covered up, but she got the chance to show them off in Dredd.
Dredd Is Often Called A Rip-Off Of The Raid, But Dredd Began Shooting First
Due to the fact that both The Raid and Dredd revolve around law enforcement officers busting into an apartment building presided over by a crime boss and fighting their way to the top, the latter is often accused of ripping off the former.
However, despite the fact that Dredd hit theaters months after The Raid, Dredd began shooting first. It just had a much longer post-production process, courtesy of the many VFX shots.
The Slow-Motion Sound Effect Is A Justin Bieber Song Slowed Down 800 Times
When characters in Dredd have taken the drug that slows down their sensation of time, there’s a unique sound effect to signify the slow-motion. This sound effect was created by slowing down a Justin Bieber song 800 times.
The Director Wanted A Scene Where Dredd Takes Off His Helmet, But Fanboy Karl Urban Refused To Shoot It
Like Ryan Reynolds’ affinity for Deadpool and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s attachment to The Walking Dead comics, Karl Urban is a huge fan of the comic book character he played, and he was determined to give Judge Dredd fans a faithful take on the role.
Director Pete Travis wanted to shoot a scene in which Dredd would remove his helmet, but since Dredd famously never removes his helmet in the comics, Urban refused to shoot the scene.
Karl Urban Performed Some Of The Lawmaster Motorcycle Stunts Himself
The producers of Dredd were going to just get stunt doubles to shoot all the scenes in which Judge Dredd rides his signature Lawmaster motorcycle, but Karl Urban insisted on riding the Lawmaster himself and did a few of his own motorcycle stunts.
There was no CGI involved in bringing these motorcycles to life. The prop team actually had functioning Lawmaster motorcycles made up. They customized a regular bike by extending the chassis and adding custom fairings.
The Dark Judges Appeared In Early Drafts Of The Script
In an early draft of Alex Garland’s Dredd script, the eponymous Judge’s arch nemeses, the Dark Judges, made an appearance. However, since it was determined that it didn’t make sense to introduce the inversion of Mega-City One’s law enforcement system before establishing the system itself, the Dark Judges were saved for a sequel.
Unfortunately, the movie was undermarketed and didn’t make enough money at the box office to warrant such a follow-up.
Olivia Thirlby Had To Redo Her Roots Every Nine Days During Filming
Just as Karl Urban went the extra mile by keeping his helmet on throughout the entire movie, Olivia Thirlby committed to the role of Judge Anderson by getting the character’s signature blonde bob from the comics. Throughout filming, the actor had to redo her roots every nine days.
Director Pete Travis Was Fired And Rehired Before The Movie Hit Theaters
When director Pete Travis delivered a rough cut of Dredd that the producers weren’t happy with – because it didn’t feature enough action – he was fired from the project. Screenwriter Alex Garland was hired to replace him as director on the reshoots.
Karl Urban has said that Garland’s work was so significant that fans should consider Dredd his directorial debut, not Ex Machina. Before Dredd hit theaters, Travis was rehired and he and Garland worked on the final cut together.
