Dredd (film)
Encyclopedia
Dredd is an upcoming film directed by Pete Travis
. It was announced in December 2008 that Danny Boyle
, through his production company DNA Films
, was to make a comic book adaption of 2000 AD character Judge Dredd
and would be unrelated to the 1995 film version
. The film is to be directed by Pete Travis
with a script by Alex Garland
. The cast currently consists of Karl Urban
as Judge Dredd and Olivia Thirlby as Judge Anderson
. Dredd is due to be released on September 21, 2012 in 3-D
.
film were first announced in December 2008. It is to be produced by director Danny Boyle
's production company DNA Films
(though Boyle will not be directing the film) with Alex Garland
(Boyle's screenwriter on 28 Days Later
and Sunshine
) attached to write the script. Judge Dredd creator John Wagner
will consult on the film.
Director Duncan Jones
turned down an offer to direct the film, though he thought the script was "great"; he explained his reasons stating:
, with Pete Travis
hired to direct. Script writer Garland along with Andrew MacDonald
and Allon Reich were also confirmed as producers for the film with filming to begin in the fourth quarter of 2010 in Johannesburg
, South Africa
. John Wagner also spoke positively on the film's script stating:
In July, IM Global
(production partners on the film) stated that the film's official title would be Dredd instead of Judge Dredd. Karl Urban
was cast as Dredd the same month. IM Global also revealed a few plot details:
In September, it was announced that pre-production had officially commenced on August 23 at Cape Town Film Studios in Cape Town, South Africa and Variety
revealed that actress Olivia Thirlby would play the part of Judge Anderson
.
It was reported, at the Toronto International Film Festival
, that the film had already achieved sales of 20 million dollars ahead of release.
In an interview with Empire
, Urban stated that the script is "faithful to the world Wagner created, yet completely fresh in its execution" and "darker in tone."
In an interview with Shave Magazine, Urban explained it is a "setup film... It's about the day in the life of Dredd as he puts his rookie, Anderson, through the paces to see if she is worthy or not of becoming a Judge." It wouldn't be based on any specific comic book plot but would be a "amalgamation of stories" and that, unlike the 1995 film version
, Dredd, like the comics, would keep his helmet on, never showing his face. As Garland later explained: "He is supposed to be the faceless representative of the law and I think that is part of his enigma ... You wouldn't get to the end of a Sergio Leone Western and go, 'God, I didn't even know the character's name!' It's irrelevant."
Urban told Shave Magazine that he is currently undergoing a lot of physical preparation in order to become a "beast of a man" true to the comic.
On November 2, Lionsgate
announced that they picked up U.S. distribution rights for Dredd.
, South Africa. The first photos from the set were revealed on November 19.
The cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle
said they had to build new camera rigs to get some of the shots they wanted. He also suggested that the film "won’t look so much like the action films we’re accustomed to, and the audience won’t have things thrust in their faces every five minutes. I hope it will be more painterly. If we get it right, it will be a cross between Blade Runner
and Clockwork Orange
."
Pete Travis
Pete Travis is an English television and film director. His work includes Cold Feet , The Jury and Omagh for television, and Vantage Point and Endgame for cinema...
. It was announced in December 2008 that Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
, through his production company DNA Films
DNA Films
DNA Films is a British film production company founded by Duncan Kenworthy and Andrew Macdonald.-Film productions:* Dredd * Never Let Me Go * Shooting Someone...
, was to make a comic book adaption of 2000 AD character Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
and would be unrelated to the 1995 film version
Judge Dredd (film)
Judge Dredd is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Danny Cannon, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Armand Assante, and Max von Sydow. The film is based on the strip of the same name in the British comic 2000 AD...
. The film is to be directed by Pete Travis
Pete Travis
Pete Travis is an English television and film director. His work includes Cold Feet , The Jury and Omagh for television, and Vantage Point and Endgame for cinema...
with a script by Alex Garland
Alex Garland
Alexander Medawar "Alex" Garland is a British novelist and screenwriter.-Early life:Garland was born in London, England, the son of psychoanalyst Caroline and political cartoonist Nicholas Garland. His maternal grandparents were zoologist Peter Medawar and author Jean Medawar...
. The cast currently consists of Karl Urban
Karl Urban
Karl-Heinz Urban is a New Zealand actor.He is known for playing Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the 2009 film Star Trek and Julius Caesar on Xena: Warrior Princess...
as Judge Dredd and Olivia Thirlby as Judge Anderson
Judge Anderson
Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
. Dredd is due to be released on September 21, 2012 in 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
.
Cast
- Karl UrbanKarl UrbanKarl-Heinz Urban is a New Zealand actor.He is known for playing Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the 2009 film Star Trek and Julius Caesar on Xena: Warrior Princess...
as Judge DreddJudge DreddJudge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner... - Olivia Thirlby as Judge AndersonJudge AndersonJudge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
- Lena HeadeyLena HeadeyLena Headey is an English actress. Headey's performance in a one-off show when she was 17 caught the attention of a casting agent, who took a photo and asked her to audition and eventually she got a supporting role alongside Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke in the 1992 British drama film Waterland and...
as Madeline Madrigal (AKA "Ma-Ma") - Jason CopeJason CopeJason Cope is a South African actor best known for his work in Neill Blomkamp's District 9. In the film Cope plays a variety of different characters including the alien Christopher Johnson and the character Grey Bradnam, one of the narrators of the film...
- Domhnall GleesonDomhnall GleesonDomhnall Gleeson is an Irish actor, director and writer from Dublin. He has acted on both stage and screen, picking up a Tony Award nomination in 2006 for his part in the Broadway production The Lieutenant of Inishmore...
- Langley Kirkwood as Judge Lex
- Francis Chouler as Judge GuthrieJudge GuthrieJudge Guthrie is a fictional character in the Judge Dredd comic strip in 2000 AD.-Fictional character biography:Guthrie first appeared in the comic strip as an undercover judge in 2000 AD prog 971...
- Kevon Kane as Mark
- Joe Vaz as Big Joe
- Warrick Grier
- Scott Sparrow
- Luke Tyler as Freel
- Travis Snyders
- Martin Kintu
- Rakie AyolaRakie AyolaRakie Ayola is a Welsh actress, best known for her role as Kyla Tyson in the BBC medical drama Holby City. She first rose to prominence in the lead role of the 1993 Jeanette Winterson screenplay Great Moments in Aviation...
Development
Plans for a new Judge DreddJudge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
film were first announced in December 2008. It is to be produced by director Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
's production company DNA Films
DNA Films
DNA Films is a British film production company founded by Duncan Kenworthy and Andrew Macdonald.-Film productions:* Dredd * Never Let Me Go * Shooting Someone...
(though Boyle will not be directing the film) with Alex Garland
Alex Garland
Alexander Medawar "Alex" Garland is a British novelist and screenwriter.-Early life:Garland was born in London, England, the son of psychoanalyst Caroline and political cartoonist Nicholas Garland. His maternal grandparents were zoologist Peter Medawar and author Jean Medawar...
(Boyle's screenwriter on 28 Days Later
28 Days Later
28 Days Later is an acclaimed 2002 British horror film directed by Danny Boyle. The screenplay was written by Alex Garland, and the film stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, and Christopher Eccleston...
and Sunshine
Sunshine (2007 film)
Sunshine is a 2007 British science fiction film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland about the crew of a spacecraft on a dangerous mission to the Sun. In 2057, with the Earth in peril from the dying Sun, the crew is sent to reignite the Sun with a massive stellar bomb with the mass...
) attached to write the script. Judge Dredd creator John Wagner
John Wagner
John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
will consult on the film.
Director Duncan Jones
Duncan Jones
Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones , also known as Zowie Bowie is an English film director, best known for directing the science fiction films Moon and Source Code .-Childhood and family life:...
turned down an offer to direct the film, though he thought the script was "great"; he explained his reasons stating:
Pre-production
In May 2010, Reliance BIG Entertainment announced they would finance the film (with a budget of $45million), which will be shot in 3-D3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
, with Pete Travis
Pete Travis
Pete Travis is an English television and film director. His work includes Cold Feet , The Jury and Omagh for television, and Vantage Point and Endgame for cinema...
hired to direct. Script writer Garland along with Andrew MacDonald
Andrew Macdonald (producer)
Andrew Macdonald is a Scottish film producer, best known for his collaborations with screenwriter John Hodge and director Danny Boyle, including Shallow Grave , Trainspotting and 28 Days Later ....
and Allon Reich were also confirmed as producers for the film with filming to begin in the fourth quarter of 2010 in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. John Wagner also spoke positively on the film's script stating:
In July, IM Global
IM Global
IM Global was founded in March 2007 by current CEO Stuart Ford. The company is one of the leading film financing, sales, and distribution companies in the world, with offices in Los Angeles, London, and Mumbai...
(production partners on the film) stated that the film's official title would be Dredd instead of Judge Dredd. Karl Urban
Karl Urban
Karl-Heinz Urban is a New Zealand actor.He is known for playing Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the 2009 film Star Trek and Julius Caesar on Xena: Warrior Princess...
was cast as Dredd the same month. IM Global also revealed a few plot details:
In September, it was announced that pre-production had officially commenced on August 23 at Cape Town Film Studios in Cape Town, South Africa and Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
revealed that actress Olivia Thirlby would play the part of Judge Anderson
Judge Anderson
Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional character that started as a supporting player in the comic story Judge Dredd of 2000 AD and eventually rose in prominence and became the star of her own series, which is entitled Anderson: Psi-Division. It was created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian...
.
It was reported, at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
, that the film had already achieved sales of 20 million dollars ahead of release.
In an interview with Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
, Urban stated that the script is "faithful to the world Wagner created, yet completely fresh in its execution" and "darker in tone."
In an interview with Shave Magazine, Urban explained it is a "setup film... It's about the day in the life of Dredd as he puts his rookie, Anderson, through the paces to see if she is worthy or not of becoming a Judge." It wouldn't be based on any specific comic book plot but would be a "amalgamation of stories" and that, unlike the 1995 film version
Judge Dredd (film)
Judge Dredd is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Danny Cannon, and starring Sylvester Stallone, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Armand Assante, and Max von Sydow. The film is based on the strip of the same name in the British comic 2000 AD...
, Dredd, like the comics, would keep his helmet on, never showing his face. As Garland later explained: "He is supposed to be the faceless representative of the law and I think that is part of his enigma ... You wouldn't get to the end of a Sergio Leone Western and go, 'God, I didn't even know the character's name!' It's irrelevant."
Urban told Shave Magazine that he is currently undergoing a lot of physical preparation in order to become a "beast of a man" true to the comic.
On November 2, Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
announced that they picked up U.S. distribution rights for Dredd.
Filming
Filming began on November 12, 2010 in Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa. The first photos from the set were revealed on November 19.
The cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle
Anthony Dod Mantle
Anthony Dod Mantle BSC is a British cinematographer notable for his work in digital cinematography.-Career:Dod Mantle directed photography on three Dogme 95 films and the first two episodes of Wallander. He used the Red One digital camera on Wallander, the first British television production to do...
said they had to build new camera rigs to get some of the shots they wanted. He also suggested that the film "won’t look so much like the action films we’re accustomed to, and the audience won’t have things thrust in their faces every five minutes. I hope it will be more painterly. If we get it right, it will be a cross between Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
and Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
."