Dredd (3D) is an adaptation of the Judge Dredd comic book series – and reboot of the movie franchise started by the Sylvester Stallone vehicle released in 1995 – that, unfortunately, bombed at the box office despite receiving generally rock-solid reviews (like ours). The bloody action genre flick has found a larger audience on the home video circuit, but producer Adi Shankar has voiced his doubts that it will be enough to pave the way for a full-length sequel to happen; though, a hard-boiled short film spinoff (a la the Punisher short “Dirty Laundry”) is not out of the question.
Karl Urban has been taking press questions about a theatrically-released Dredd followup, during the promotions for Star Trek Into Darkness (read our review) over the past few weeks. Surprisingly, he’s not only proven to be more optimistic in his appraisal of the situation, but the actor has also indicated that key personnel on the Judge Dredd reboot – specifically, he and screenwriter Alex Garland – have been discussing the idea, and what it would need to become a reality.
Here’s what Urban offered Collider, on the subject of a Dredd sequel:
“Interestingly enough, I did have breakfast with Alex Garland this morning. It’s not off the agenda. Clearly everyone has woken up to the fact that an audience has found this movie and loves it. It’s entirely possible, and if people want to see another installment then they should be vocal about that, because, it can happen. The power of fandom can resurrect projects. In fact, that’s what happened with Star Trek. They weren’t going to do a third season until fans did a letter writing campaign and they continued that series.”
When our Amy Nicholson spoke with Urban recently, he likewise indicated that Dredd‘s cult following has become large (and vocal) enough to get the attention of the people needed to get the ball rolling on a followup. Obviously, money speaks louder than words in Hollywood; however, the fact that Dredd claimed the number one spot on the DVD and Blu-ray sales charts when it became available in those formats – despite grossing only $35 million worldwide in theaters on a $50 million budget (not including marketing costs) – means that the fanbase is, indeed, putting their money where their mouths are.
Garland has previously expressed his desire for a deeper exploration of Mega City One’s political structure in a sequel that leads into additional installments; that could set the stage for an appearance by The Dark Judges (among other iconic Judge Dredd characters) in a third Dredd movie, in what the screenwriter has described as his “film-trilogy daydream.” Clearly, Garland has put a reasonable amount of thought into how to further develop the Dredd universe in a sequel (and beyond); that’s despite it being little more than a pipe dream, for now.
Then again, the same could’ve been said about Chronicles of Riddick filmmaker David Twohy and lead Vin Diesel’s hopes for a third installment in that grisly sci-fi franchise (which also features Urban) for many years – and yet, their devotion to the cause will pay off when Riddick opens in theaters in September. If Urban and Garland prove to be equally willing to keep beating the drum for Dredd 2 (and the fans remain committed), then who knows, right?
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Are you still hoping for a sequel to Dredd? Let us know in the comments section.
