Two Hollywood flops later, John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s square-jawed judge, jury, and executioner is officially headed to television in the form of Judge Dredd: Mega-City One.
First announced late last week, the live-action TV series has entered “early development” over at IM Global and Rebellion, and fans are quietly hoping that the leather-claw lawman is about to get the adaptation he deserves. Without any casting news to report, Mega-City One is still a ways away, but one question that has loomed over the project ever since it was announced is whether Karl Urban will have a role to play in the small-screen revival.
Almost two decades after the botched Hollywood movie featuring Sylvester Stallone, Urban won over the hearts and minds of the Dredd faithful with a cool, competent performance as Mega-City One’s most feared lawman, who patrolled the crime-ridden streets in his search for Ma-Ma (Lena Headey).
A poorly executed marketing campaign meant Dredd was ostensibly dead on arrival – financially, at least – but will Karl Urban don the iconic helmet once more as judge, jury, and executioner once more? That largely comes down to scheduling, according to Brian Jenkins. He’s attached to produce the upcoming Judge Dredd: Mega-City One, and while appearing on a recent episode of The 2000 AD Thrill-Cast (via Screen Rant), Jenkins addressed the possibility of casting Urban head-on.
“We have had many conversations prior to this, about all sorts of things. He’s also very busy, a full-time professional actor. So we’re going to have some long and complicated conversations I would imagine, and we’ll see where we go. It’s too early to tell yet, but if we can use him and he’s available to us, then I think that would be absolutely brilliant. There’s always a possibility he will be busy, or that his schedule for other movies won’t allow- Basically, we don’t know at this stage.”
“Four hundred million citizens, every one of them a potential criminal.” Judge Dredd: Mega-City One is officially on the way, but providing the stars align, would you like to see Karl Urban take point? Do let us know in the usual place.
