Not that long ago we brought you news that Karl Urban was circling the lead role in Judge Dredd. The actor has been out promoting Red and Priest at Comic-Con and he spilled the beans about his views on the character and the type of direction the comic book adaptation will go.
Movieline caught up with the actor at Comic-Con and they quizzed him on the project. It appears that the Lord of the Rings actor is a long time fan of the Mega City law enforcer:
“I’ve been reading Dredd for over 25 years. When I was 15 years old working in the pizza parlor, the manager I worked for was heavily into it, and he switched me on to it. It was interesting for me that at a time when I was a teenager rebelling against all the things a teenager rebels against and doing all the things that one does, one of my heroes was this authoritarian, staunch, hardass representative of the law. I was already a fan of futuristic science-fiction worlds, so for me, I naturally gravitated towards the characters. I felt [John] Wagner really created this enigmatic, iconic character, and infused him with just an indomitable attitude and these witty one-liners. It’s an opportunity that is one that I’m thrilled to embark on.”
He also passionately stated that in no way would Dredd remove his helmet in the film:
“It’s going to be hardcore and gritty. I feel most happy for fans of Dredd who are finally going to get the Dredd movie they so richly deserve. I can tell you that hypothetically — and this just gives you an idea of where our heads are collectively at — if I was to go see a movie called Judge Dredd, and the actor who played Judge Dredd was to take his helmet off and full-on reveal his face and identity, I would puke in my popcorn.”
It seems that Urban is happy with the direction that the film is headed – even though it’s only in the pre-production stage:
“I can’t say too much about it because we’re in the very early process of locking it down and making it happen, but I can say that the producers behind this movie are being 100% faithful to the source material. The creator is involved as a consultant, and the artist, Jock, who’s done some incredible work…he’s also involved in the development stage. I can tell you that in no way, shape, or form is it related to any other movie that’s come out called Judge Dredd.”
It looks like the future is going to be good for fans of Judge Dredd. If Urban is indeed the fan that he says he is, and if the film stays true to its roots, then this could be a pretty good comic book adaptation.
[EDITORS NOTE: KOFI OUTLAW] – What I especially like is the fact that Urban (and hopefully the filmmakers behind this reboot) seemed to have analyzed everything about the 1995 Sylvester Stallone movie adaptation of the character that didn’t go over well with fans, and are committed to correcting those missteps. I know that back in ’95, I went into that movie knowing very little about Judge Dredd other than the little bits my older brother told me about – badass hardcore cop/jury/executioner all rolled in one. ‘
Imagine my surprise then when I bore witness to Stallone playing up a “dramatic hero” version of Judge Dredd. Seriously, walking out of the theater I remember saying to myself, “Man, he was only in the costume for like a second! Lame!” Hopefully the second time around will be more impressive – Urban is certainly a good choice for the lead, but movies, by nature, need to have a certain amount of dramatic arch, so the risk for watered-down Dredd is still a very real possibility. We’ll see – [END NOTE]
For more of Urban talking Dredd (that just sounds awesome) head over to Movieline.
Keep reading Screen Rant for more news on Judge Dredd.
