cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/14993868
Given the character’s enduring success, movie adaptations invariably surfaced, the first being 1995’s Sylvester Stallone vehicle Judge Dredd. Unfortunately for fans, the movie was a commercial and critical flop, universally panned for marring the character. Following years of development hell, it wasn’t until 2012 that an unrelated adaptation in the form of Dredd—starring Karl Urban—surfaced. Though still a financial flop, Dredd was far better received by fans and critics alike for its greater adherence to the source material. However, this movie still garnered criticism in some sectors for its depiction of Mega-City One and lack of 2000 AD’s signature satire, leading to another uneven adaptation. As such, fans are still clamoring for a movie that encapsulates everything that makes Judge Dredd so special.
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Ultimately, filmmakers should learn from past mistakes in any future Judge Dredd adaptation by combining the successes of Judge Dredd and Dredd. Indeed, if Judge Dredd’s depiction of Mega-City One were fused with Dredd’s characterization of the titular lawman, fans would no doubt be deeply satisfied. Furthermore, Dredd could have benefitted from including the iconic antagonists of Judge Dredd rendered in a comic-accurate manner. Importantly, both adaptations lack 2000 AD’s characteristic playful yet biting humor and satire, and this should undoubtedly be addressed to ensure the financial and critical success of any future effort.
Moreover, it is important to note that none of Judge Dredd’s quintessential storylines beyond The Return of Rico have ever been adapted for the big screen despite now boasting two adaptations. The Day the Law Died, Judge Death, The Judge Child, Oz, and Judge Death Lives! are all iconic tales that are yet to see any semblance of adaptation, meaning there is still a wealth of source material to mine. In particular, having never seen Judge Dredd’s arch-nemesis Judge Death grace the big screen seems incredibly perverse—imagine if no Batman movie had yet featured the Joker. By learning from the mistakes and successes of the past, filmmakers will hopefully one day grace fans with the Judge Dredd movie they deserve.
The problem with Dredd is that the director, Danny Cannon, wanted to follow the tone of the comics, whereas Stallone thought it was an action comedy. So the whole production had a push/pull effect applied to it, where Stallone won because he was the bigger name with more star pulling power.
Cannon says the final film is very different to the script due to Stallone’s changes.
I distinctly remember, many years ago, reading that Cannon was thinking of a director’s cut, and I’ve been waiting ever since.
Dredd (2012) for me, is the better film and I think they were using that entry to establish the character (for those who nothing of Dredd). Apparently the plan for the sequel was to bring in Judge Death, but as the film was a commercial flop, all plans were abandoned.
Finally, Rebellion Studios were working on a television show called Mega City One which would have occasional appearances from Dredd, but I haven’t heard anything about that show in years.
That’s quite similar to what I’ve heard, though my only depth here is a podcast episode that covered what you’ve touched on. I guess for me Karl Urban’s Dredd was a better acted one overall, it’s just that what I really want from a Dredd film is that really dark, biting satire of fascism with hyperbolic characters. I want it to be like a grim, even darker Idiocracy that still has some gleeful madness. I haven’t seen that on screen yet.