The film Dredd has developed a sort of cult following since its release in 2012, with fans launching numerous campaigns for a sequel in the years since.
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And now, fans wishing to see Karl Urban don the antihero’s helmet again have gotten a version of their wish – in the form of a social media post.
Urban recently posted a photo of himself wearing the helmet prop, while holding a cup of coffee with Joseph Dredd’s police badge. The photo was to honor a particularly special occasion for fans of the character – the anniversary of 2000 AD.
For the uninitiated, the British sci-fi anthology comic featured the very first publication of Judge Dredd. Navigating through the dystopian city of Mega-City One, Joseph Dredd functions as a single judge, jury, and executioner when up against the city’s lot of criminals.
The character appeared in the comic’s second issue, and has become a mainstay of the publication in the years since. From 1994 to 1996, comics centering around an alternate version of the character were also published by DC Comics. The original Judge Dredd also crossed over with Batman in four special comic events between 1991 and 1998.
But at the root of it, the character of Judge Dredd is an immensely important part of 2000 AD’s slate of comics, making Urban’s celebratory post even more fitting.
As films of the comic may know, Urban was not the first actor to portray the character onscreen. The 1995 film Judge Dredd had Sylvester Stallone in the titular role, but was widely panned by critics and fans alike, particularly for ignoring important parts of Dredd’s established comic book canon.
That fate has not seemed to be shared by Urban’s hit portrayal. Some sort of sequel – either a film or a series – has been teased for years. Urban in particular has been a champion for that idea, saying last year that he would love to bring the character into a series on a streaming platform of some kind.
Adi Shankar, who helped produce the 2012 film, reassured fans that they will eventually see more of Urban’s portrayal as the character, possibly in an animated series.
In the meantime, Urban has several other franchises under his belt, including the Star Trek film reboots, as well as the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: Ragnarok.
