Taika Waititi Developing New ‘Judge Dredd’ Movie

Taika Waititi Developing a Fresh Take on UK Comic Lawman ‘Judge Dredd’

Drew Pearce, who wrote movies including ‘Iron Man 3’ and ‘The Fall Guy’ is collaborating with the director on the adaptation of the 2000 AD comics title.

(Left) Taika Waititi on the set of 'Next Goal Wins.' Photo by Hilary Bronwyn Gayle. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved. (Right) Karl Urban in 2012's 'Dredd'. Photo: Reliance Entertainment.

Preview:

Taika Waititi is putting a ‘Judge Dredd’ movie together.
Drew Pearce is attached to write the script.
The package is out to studios.

UK comics icon Judge Dredd –– the muscular, gruff dystopian lawman who rides a hulking bike and dishes out justice while calling perps “creeps” –– is no stranger to movie screens, having been adapted twice before.

Judge Dredd

"In the future, one man is the law."

R1 hr 36 minJun 30th, 1995

Watch Judge Dredd Online

Now, though, according to The Hollywood Reporter, ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Jojo Rabbit’ director Taika Waititi is looking to bring his own idiosyncratic style to the character for a new movie.

And he’s recruited Drew Pearce, the writer/director behind ‘Hotel Artemis’ but more known for scripting movies such as ‘The Fall Guy’ and ‘Iron Man 3’, to handle the writing side of things.

What’s the story of ‘Judge Dredd’?

(L to R) Diane Lane and Sylvester Stallone in 'Judge Dredd'. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

Created in the late 1970s by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, the character of Dredd debuted in the pages of weekly British anthology 2000 AD.

He is a police officer in the bleak future metropolis of Mega-City One, part of a law enforcement corps that empowers officers to be judge, jury, and executioner.

The character and his stories were a satire on a judicial system taken to the extreme. Dredd proved hugely popular, engendering several more comics and comics strips, video and board games, books, and even postage stamps in the United Kingdom.

Given what’s happening on America’s streets right now, the concept feels less like satire and more like documentary, but it’s also certainly rich territory for Waititi, who has put his own stamp on even the MCU.

As mentioned above, if it goes through this would represent the third produced version of the character, following the big-budget 1995 adaptation ‘Judge Dredd’ starring Sylvester Stallone that was harshly judged by critics and audiences.

More warmly was the reception for ‘Dredd,’ a 2012 adaptation that starred Karl Urban with a script by ‘28 Days Later’ and ‘Civil War’s Alex Garland.

There are few official details for how Waititi and Pearce’s version will differ, but they apparently both grew up on the comics. Dredd might be more of a risk, though, as Waititi has tried to tackle classic sci-fi in the past, with ‘Akira’ slipping through his fingers.

What else does Taika Waititi have in development?

Taika Waititi on the set of 'Next Goal Wins.' Photo by Hilary Bronwyn Gayle. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

Waititi has been a little quieter of late since 2023’s soccer comedy drama ‘Next Goal Wins’, but he has new movie ‘Klara and the Sun’ on the way this year.

He's also attached as a director to a planned prequel series based on 'Young Frankenstein'.

As an actor, he’ll show up in fantasy adventure ‘Fing!’ and drama ‘Place to Be’.