It’s been a little while since we’ve seen anything new from the upcoming Dredd, having got our first official look at Karl Urban in the titular role last summer, followed by some great images a few days later of Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, and more of Urban in action.
But with film due out later this year, we’ve now got four excellent new images to share with you, via 2000 AD and ComingSoon.net, giving us a few more looks at Thirlby and Urban opposite each other.
Dredd will be directed by Pete Travis (Vantage Point) and written by Alex Garland (28 Days Later), and will star Urban (JJ Abrams’ Star Trek) in the eponymous role, Thirlby (Juno) as the rookie Judge Anderson, and Lena Headey (300) as the villain, Madeline Madrigal. The plot is currently being kept under wraps, and the few details we have so far look a little something like this:
“DREDD takes us to the wild streets of Mega City One, the lone oasis of quasi-civilization on Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot – if necessary. The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and the frenetic vision of director Peter Travis bring DREDD to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film that returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s revered comic strip.”
Fans of the 2000 AD comics will no doubt be happy to know that this new adaptation is completely unrelated to the 1995 film, Judge Dredd, which wasn’t quite so well received. On this adaptation, they went to creator Wagner himself to discuss the film and what it should be, which certainly sounds like a good sign.
And these new images would definitely cement that, bringing us even more awesomeness. I’m a really big fan of Thirlby’s work, and am glad she’s getting the chance to take on bigger roles like this.
Dredd is set to be released in 3D on 21st September over in the States, and though there’s no word yet on a UK release, let’s hope that we’ll be getting it around the same time. Still quite a few months to go before it comes, but the pictures so far are giving us plenty to look forward to. Here’s to hoping that we’ll be treated to the first trailer before long. For now, enjoy these great new shots of Thirlby and Urban, and as usual, you can click to enlarge. Very much looking forward to that first brain-exploding shot.
