Dredd was well-received by critics when it came out in 2012, with a lot of praise directed to Karl Urban’s deadpan, forceful performance as the titular futuristic cop. But we all know the story of how the movie was nowhere near a commercial success, and despite strong sales in home formats, a sequel is pretty much dead.
However, Rebellion Productions and IM Global Television have recently announced their plans to start production on a TV series based on the character called Judge Dredd: Mega-City One. When this was brought to light, one question was on everyone’s minds: will Karl Urban return to the character, albeit in TV format?
Currently during press rounds for his latest role as Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok, Karl Urban was asked by Screen Rant if he was deciding on doing the show, and he responded with what the show and producers will need to provide to get him on board:
“Well, Rebellion, who owns the rights to Judge Dredd, are currently developing a television series called Mega-City One, and I’ve had many discussions with them about my involvement of which I am interested, and I said to them, ‘Listen, if you write a character that has a function and a purpose and contributes to the overall story, then I might be very interested in reprising that role.’ I certainly wouldn’t want to step into it and just pay lip service to the movie. There has to be some material there that warrants further exploration of that character. So the ball’s in their court.”
Karl Urban is a prolific actor in the nerd community, starring in films like Dredd, but also the rebooted Star Trek films, and Rohan Prince Eomer in The Lord of the Rings films The Two Towers and The Return of the King. He, however, is not shy to express his honest feelings about his work in these projects, saying that he was tired of playing Bones in Star Trek until he saw the script for Star Trek Beyond. Since that film disappointed at the box office and plans for Star Trek 4 are stagnant, Urban has said that even he was happy with how the last one turned out and would be happy to leave the series where it was. But Dredd is something different.
The Judge Dredd: Mega-City One TV series is not confirmed to follow in the same continuity of Dredd, but Urban has a burning passion for the character and has never let go of how much he wants to return. But it is admirable to know that the actor would only agree under the right conditions for the character and thus the fans. Hopefully, the show’s producers can do right by the actor and give us more Judge Dredd to come, played by the best guy for the job.
Judge Dredd: Mega-City One is in pre-production with no confirmed start or release date.
Thor: Ragnarok, featuring Karl Urban, is in cinemas November 3.
Source: ScreenRant
