Karl Urban Is JUDGE DREDD!!

I kind of saw this one coming and I am great with it. I am a Karl Urban fan (especially after his portrayal of Bones in STAR TREK) and I think he can certainly pull this one off. Empire is reporting that Urban has indeed signed on to play the title role of JUDGE DREDD after they spoke with producers Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich.

For those uninitiated with the story (it is a UK comic that was lazily adapted by Stallone in the 1990's), it involves a futuristic world filled with violence, and the lead character is empowered to act as judge, jury and executioner. The premise is outstanding for the big screen... if done right.

From what I can tell, Macdonald and Reich are doing just that (emphasis is mine):

“The main thing about Dredd is that it’s a fantastic comic that was completely messed up 20 years ago," said Macdonald. "Our idea is to make a very hard, R-rated, gritty, realistic movie of Dredd in Megacity, so we’ve got to get the tone right. He’s not going to take off his helmet. His bike is going to feel real. He’s going to hit people and it’s going to feel real."

"There’s been a change in comic-book movies; they were treated unseriously and now they’re treated seriously. We’ve cast a guy called Karl Urban to play Dredd. We’ll be shooting in Johannesburg, it’s being directed by Pete Travis, we’re shooting with the people who did District 9 – and if we get it right, Alex has a couple of ideas for other stories as well. It’s not based on any one comic, and John Wagner is involved in every decision."

This movie IS going to happen. Macdonald has financing (~$50 million) from India-based Reliance Big Entertainment and IM Global. Pete Travis (VANTAGE POINT) is the director. Alex Garland (THE BEACH, 28 DAYS LATER) wrote the script. So get ready - this should be quite a spectacle!

Release is slated for 2012.

Sources: MarketSaw | Empire | Deadline