JuicyTalk
Fans of Karl Urban’s cult favorite Dredd would love a sequel, though it technically already has one. While it may have failed at the box office in 2012, Dredd is still considered one of the best comic book movies of the 2010s.
This gory, lean actioner traps Judge Dredd and his partner Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) in a massive tower block controlled by a criminal gang. The Karl Urban movie was met with largely positive reviews for its great cast, visceral action, and faithfulness to the 2000 AD comics, but it still underperformed.
Karl Urban’s Dredd Movie Received A Run Of Comic Book Sequels
The film soon attracted a loyal cult, and calls for Dredd 2 or other spinoffs grew louder. Nearly 15 years later, there are zero signs of a direct follow-up happening, though Urban gave fans a flicker of hope when he told The Playlist he’d still reprise the Judge Dredd role in “a heartbeat.”
What tends to be forgotten is that it did receive a sequel, in the form of a run of comic books. The first outing was Dredd: Underbelly, which was published by 2000 AD back in 2014, and which acts as a direct sequel to the original.
Over the next few years, 2000 AD would return to the world of Urban’s Dredd many times with titles like Dust – which ventured into the “Cursed Earth” outside Mega-City One – or Uprise. Anderson got her own spin-off titles too, with each exploring different facets of the movie’s universe.
The Dredd Comics Finished In 2018
It has since come to light that not only did Alex Garland write Dredd, he ghostdirected it too. He had plans in place for two sequels, one of which would have introduced the iconic Dark Judges. These supernatural beings consider life itself a crime, punishable only by death.
Sadly, the Dredd comics lacked any input from Garland, and his distinctive voice is missing. It’s still nice to spend more time in the world of Karl Urban’s Dredd, with the artwork being particularly striking, but they’re not must-read additions to the lore of the original movie either.
The Dredd sequel comics ended with the fittingly titled Final Judgement arc, where the titular Judge faces off with an alternate take on the Dark Judges. It’s a fun read that ends on a definitive note for Urban’s Dredd, which at least gives the character a proper finale.
A Dredd Sequel Will Probably Never Happen
While there was once hope that strong home media sales of Dredd would boost its box office enough to encourage a sequel, it became evident that wasn’t going to happen. The publication of the comics also briefly reignited hope for a follow-up, but it just isn’t likely to happen now.
In the years since, there has been talk of a live-action Mega-City One show featuring Dredd as a supporting character, but after being announced in 2017, it has yet to move ahead. Judge Dredd is set to receive a new movie too, with Taika Waititi currently attached as director.
There’s a chance Urban could still be considered for the new film, considering he and Waititi previously worked together on Thor: Ragnarok together. The odds of the film being connected to the 2012 Dredd feel incredibly slight, though.
Source: The Playlist
- Created by
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John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra
- First Film
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Judge Dredd
- Latest Film
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Dredd
- Cast
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Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Max Von Sydow, Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey
- Movie(s)
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Judge Dredd, Dredd
- Character(s)
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Judge Dredd, Rico, Judge Hershey, Chief Justice Fargo, Judge Anderson, Ma-Ma Madrigal, Judge Cal, Judge Death
The Judge Dredd franchise is based on the dystopian law enforcement character Judge Dredd, who originated from the British comic series 2000 AD in 1977. Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, Judge Dredd serves as both judge and executioner in the futuristic and crime-ridden Mega-City One. The franchise blends science fiction with dark satire, critiquing totalitarianism and authoritarian justice systems. Over time, Judge Dredd has evolved into a multimedia franchise that includes comics, films, and video games, with two major film adaptations: Judge Dredd (1995) starring Sylvester Stallone and Dredd (2012) starring Karl Urban.
