Jason Kingsley, executive producer on the upcoming TV revival Judge Dredd: Mega-City One, has reaffirmed that negotiations with Karl Urban, who donned that iconic helmet for Pete Travis’ 2012 reboot, are indeed underway.
Word of Urban possibly reprising the role of judge, jury, and executioner first surfaced online just yesterday, when the actor himself told those in attendance at last weekend’s Star Trek Las Vegas Convention that he would “love” to suit up as Mega-City One’s no-nonsense law enforcer.
And though the casting of Karl Urban would certainly fire Judge Dredd: Mega-City One into the mainstream spotlight – if it isn’t there already – Jason Kingsley told Screen Geek that for the sake of Dredd fans, he’s more concerned with the actual quality of the show itself, stressing that “this needs to be done right” after so many false starts.
Because in reality, if Karl Urban is shoehorned into the script to appease long-time Dredd fans, it’ll only hamper Mega-City One‘s chances of carving out an audience beyond those familiar with John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s leather-clad lawman. We’ve heard before that Kingsley aims to blend the “macabre with the insane,” so it’s reassuring to learn that the darker elements of Judge Dredd haven’t been lost on the show’s creators.
But will Urban have a role to play when all is said and done? Here’s the latest from Jason Kingsley:
We have been in discussions with Karl about his possible involvement in Judge Dredd: Mega-City One for some time. These conversations continue but we’re keen, he’s keen – it’s just a case of us making sure this show is everything we want it to be. This needs to be done right – the fans deserve it. Our team is working hard on scripts for the first season, creating engaging multi-thread storylines, one of which will be Dredd’s, but others which take us into the wider world of Mega-City One.
Judge Dredd: Mega-City One has set up shop at IM Global and Rebellion, though given how both parties are said to be targeting a 2019 premiere, it’s still early, early days for this particular TV revival. Even still, news that Karl Urban is in contention to appear is music to our ears, and you can share your own preliminary thoughts via the usual place.