Karl Urban has a comic book return he said he is excited about, and it doesn’t involve The Boys franchise. Karl Urban is no stranger to comic book adaptations, and he has appeared in movies and TV shows for properties from several companies. He has been part of the MCU, playing Skurge the Executioner in Thor: Ragnarok, starred as a law enforcement officer in the WildStorm adaptation Red, appeared in the adaptation of the Korean comic Priest, and stars as Billy Butcher in The Boys, from WildStorm/Dynamite. However, Urban really wants to return to the movie based on a 2000 AD comic book adaptation.
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In an interview with The Playlist’s Discourse, Karl Urban said he would love to return for a sequel to Dredd. The movie is based on the 2000 AD comic book series Judge Dredd, and Urban played the titular character. “I would love to reprise that role in a heartbeat. I really would. I had so much fun making that movie,” Urban said. “If I’m not part of it, then I’m all good with it. I just want to see more Dredd stories.”
Karl Urban Not Likely to Return to Dredd Franchise
Karl Urban starred in Dredd in 2012, the second film for the long-running comic book property. Sylvester Stallone took the lead in a movie called Judge Dredd in the 90s, but critics and fans heavily criticized that release. However, Urban’s Dredd received high praise, especially from comic book fans. The only thing holding it down was that the story was too similar to the South Korean action masterpiece The Raid, and the comparisons were strong.
In Urban’s movie, he played Judge Dredd, the main law enforcement officer in Mega-City One, which is overrun with criminals. He has to take down the mafia head (Laura Headey), who remains protected in a high-rise building that Dredd and his fellow judges have to work their way through to reach her. The R-rated action movie has an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score.
The only problem is that there is a new Dredd movie coming, but Taika Waititi signed on to direct it, and if Karl Urban has not signed on for this role, it seems like Dredd might move on without him in the lead. Waititi’s directing sensibilities differ from those of the original movie, so the film might end up taking a fresh look at the character, which means a reboot of the franchise.
However, even if Urban doesn’t return for another Dredd movie, he still has more to come in comic book movies. The fifth and final season of The Boys hits in April 2026, and that will mark the end of his road as Billy Butcher in that comic book franchise. Whether he gets another chance in the MCU or James Gunn’s DCU remains to be seen, but Karl Urban has proven he has a love for comic book movies and TV shows, and don’t be surprised to see him back for more.
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