‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Director Taika Waititi Is Set To Direct New ‘Judge Dredd’ Movie And Fans Are Already Passing Their Sentence
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit) is preparing to take on another cherished comic book IP as he teams up with screenwriter Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) to bring another adaptation of Judge Dredd to the big screen.
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THR’s sources claims that the two are friends who’ve been wanting to work together on a project for years, and they both grew up reading the books from 2000AD. IP holders Chris Kingsley, Jason Kingsley, and Ben Smith of Rebellion Developments are attached as producers, as are Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment, Jeremy Platt, Natalie Viscuso, and Pearce.
The pitch is said to take inspiration more from the comics than the previous two movies, leaning more into “the world-building and dark humor.” However, it is also intended to be a “fun sci-fi blockbuster that nonetheless speaks to this moment in culture,” and only God knows what that will entail.
They continue adding more cream to their taco by expressing a desire to see the scarcely conceived film branch off into other features, and quite possibly shows on the multitude of streaming services.
It’s still unclear whether these glowing embers of a scary pipe dream will be some kind of inflated Dredd Cinematic Universe, or quite possibly an expansion into the other great titles from 2000AD. Still, fans should probably play it safe and set their Lawgivers to “Fatalist” until further notice.
It didn’t take long for them to start firing Incendiary rounds all over the internet. Many weren’t happy with Waititi’s take on Thor in the two MCU sequels, and they’re even less pleased to see him give Dredd the Taika treatment. Over on the X platform, C.A. Pence echoes the feelings of many and features a special appearance by Switch from The Matrix:
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Pure Slime takes it to deeper levels on X by comparing the news to making a wish on a monkey’s paw, only to have that wish turn sour:
Created by John Wagner (Doctor Who, LOBO: Unamerican Gladiators, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight) and Carlos Ezquerra (Tharg The Mighty, Stainless Steel Rat, Durham Red), Judge Dredd started blasting across the black & white panels in 1977, and introduced readers to the nightmare world of Mega-City One, a colossal expanse of concrete that stretches across the entire East Coast.
This cyberpunk city serves as one of the only few places left to escape the post-nuclear wastelands known as “The Cursed Earth” and the mutant cannibals that dwell there. As with any massive metropolis (pre-, or post-apocalyptic), the place is infested with crime, poverty, vice, and death on every corner. There aren’t enough police to patrol the overcrowded streets, and the judicial system has managed to become even slower.
That’s when the government-funded “Street Judges” stepped forward to stem the tide of violence, and streamline the legal process by dispensing their own judgment upon arrest (assuming the perp is taken alive!). Among them is one who stands above all, a man who is respected and feared by those on both sides of the shield. He is judge, jury, and executioner. His name is Dredd, and he is the law…
The comic was an immediate hit and became 2000AD’s longest-running title before getting its own magazine in 1990. The first movie came in 1995 with Sylvester Stallone, but the less said about that movie, the better. That bitter taste was washed away in 2012 with Karl Urban as the title character, and a movie that many consider to be one of the best (if not, THE BEST) comic book adaptations ever made.
Unfortunately, it didn’t make enough at the box office to merit a sequel. Since then, fans have been clamoring to see Urban reprise the role (including the actor himself), but nothing would ever come of it. Time will tell if this actually happens, and the only thing anyone can do is hope that it doesn’t turn into a harsh lesson in being careful what we wish for.
Dredd (2012) is available on MAX, and below is a classic song about the character by metal legends (and comic book fans), Anthrax:
NEXT: Thor: Ragnarok Director Taika Waititi To Develop a Flash Gordon Animated Film for Disney
