, a new story set in the world of last year’s Dredd 3D, will begin next week, 2000 AD has announced.The story picks up where the fan-favorite movie left off, with Judges Dredd and Anderson fighting the tsunami of crime on the mean streets of the dystopian Mega-City One in the wake of Ma-Ma Madrigal’s death.Fans have been petitioning for a sequel to be made on film (which ComicBook.com has called the best R-rated comic book movie ever made) and, while the box office didn’t justify it at first, strong home video sales and enthisiasm by the studio, the creative people involved and the fans have made it a real possibility.”I would love nothing more than to come back and make another one of those films. I had such a great time making it and really, I support it wholeheartedly. I guess it’s up to people. If they make enough noise, if they buy enough of the DVDs then sure, it’s a possibility,” said the film’s star, Karl Urban, at San Diego Comic Con International in July.While Judge Dredd comics have remained in publication right along, the movie itself has a different look and approach to the characters that, while it drew raves from many fans, doesn’t jive with the 2000 AD comics, hence the decision to publish this as a stand-alone.Written by Arthur Wyatt and drawn by Henry Flint, the comic will be available in print, and digitally through the 2000 AD webshop and the 2000 AD iPad app.While Dredd was originally conceived as a trilogy, it seems unlikely that Dredd: Underbelly is based on either of the two as-yet-unproduced stories, since 2000 AD’s statement includes no credit for screenwriter Alex Garland or director Pete Travis, who reportedly contributed ideas to shaping the world of Dredd.
