Judge Dredd, from the British sci-fi comic 2000 AD, isn’t the most famous comic book character out there, but he does have a strong cult following and his fans were over the moon with writer Alex Garland’s Dredd movie that came out in 2012, starring Karl Urban as the chisel-jawed law enforcer. It was far from the mainstream hits of Marvel and DC, though, and unfortunately, didn’t warrant a sequel.
Despite that, Urban’s maintained his commitment to playing the character again if the opportunity ever arose. And, at the moment, there’s a very good one on the horizon. Judge Dredd: Mega-City One – a TV series set in the Dredd universe – is currently in the works, with the script for the pilot episode recently completed and the show now moving into pre-production.
While speaking at Trekonderoga, the Star Trek and Thor: Ragnarok actor opened up about where his involvement with Mega-City One stands. Urban admitted that he’s not formally attached to it as yet, but “conversations” have been had and the actor’s excited to see how the TV series dives into the world of Judge Dredd.
“I’m not attached to it, although I did have a preliminary round of conversations with them. I am interested in doing it. There are a lot of great stories to tell there. It is up to them. I don’t know really where they are in the stages of development. If I get the opportunity, great, otherwise some else will do it, and we can all see some more Judge Dredd. I did read the comics when I was a kid, as I teenager I read Judge Dredd a lot.”
Urban then revealed some juicy details about what we can expect from the show, including that it’ll mostly focus on a bunch of rookie judges who take to the crime-ridden streets of the futuristic metropolis of the title. However, the plan is to include Dredd in a recurring role, which would allow Urban the chance to reprise the character. That said, the star’s only keen to come back if they give him something to work with.
“Their idea for Mega-City One is was basically to build the show around more rookie judges and young, new judges and Dredd would come in and out and I said that I’ll do it, but it has to be done in a meaningful way. I can’t just come on and grunt and pull faces, there has to be a story there for him. There has to be a kind of little arc and a story we are trying to tell. So, we will see what they do.”
Let’s hope these conversations between both parties continue so that we can see more of Urban (well, his chin, at least) in the role. As always, we’ll keep you posted as and when any further Judge Dredd: Mega-City One updates arise, but in the meantime, tell us, would you like to see the actor return for the show?
