The upcoming Judge Dredd TV show titled Judge Dredd: Mega-City One won’t just focus on Dredd. The character of Judge Dredd first appeared in the magazine 2000 AD back in 1977, but he has also been featured in a number of other comic books, movies, and video games over the years. In 1995, Sylvester Stallone stepped into the role for a PG-13 adaptation, but his film was mostly panned by critics. Then in 2012, Karl Urban took on the character for Pete Travis and Alex Garland’s Dredd.
Despite Dredd being a hit with fans and critics alike, a sequel has yet to happen since the film was a dud at the box office. Dredd had a successful home video release, but the sales of the Blu-ray and DVDs still wasn’t enough for Lionsgate to warrant a sequel. In the years since, Karl Urban has remained optimistic about Dredd 2, but in 2016 it was announced that a Dredd sequel was officially not in development. Fans were disappointed by the news, but their spirits were lifted when a live-action Judge Dredd TV show was announced.
During an interview with Screen Geek Mike Molcher, the PR director for 2000 AD, revealed that Mega-City One won’t just focus on Dredd. Instead, Molcher said the show would revolve around his co-workers and the crimes that the Judges deal with in Mega-City One. Molcher was also asked about Urban’s possible return, with Molcher responding that it is possible, but they haven’t begun casting yet. Molcher’s full quote about the status of development can be read below:
“Work is ongoing. There’s not much more than that, unfortunately. Think ‘Hill Street Blues’ set in the world of Judge Dredd. We’re looking at an ensemble cast, really exploring the world, seeing it from the point of view not of Dredd, but of those who work around him and the kind of crazy crimes and the general madness that you get in a city of 400 million people confined to a much more smaller space. Yeah, work is ongoing at the moment. There is a lot of speculation and what not going around – we’re just at that point where you can’t say anything.”
Judge Dredd: Mega-City One was announced a few years ago, but there haven’t been very many updates on the project. Last year, long-time Judge Dredd writer Rob Williams joined the TV series as a creative lead, with Mark Stern (Battlestar Galactica), Stuart Ford (Hacksaw Ridge), and Jason and Chris Kingsley (Dredd) producing the series. At last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that the script for the Judge Dredd pilot was complete, but production still hasn’t started.
While this update is the closest fans have gotten to a synopsis, it still doesn’t reveal much about the show. It does however bring into question what other characters from the comics could be included in the show. It still isn’t even known if Mega-City One will be a sequel to Dredd or if this project will stand as a reboot. That will likely depend on whether Urban returns to the series or not. Urban has remained open to returning as Dredd in the past, but hopefully fans will get some casting information when the next update for Judge Dredd: Mega-City One arrives.
