Judge Dredd Returning to the Big Screen

I really can't say that I would ever see the day when the words "Judge Dredd" and "new movie" would be in the same sentence. According to Deadline Hollywood Daily that sentence is being uttered as we speak at the Cannes Film Festival.

Andrew Macdonald's DNA Films has made a deal with Reliance Big Entertainment and IM Global to finance a new 3D incarnation of Judge Dredd. Yep. The film will be written by Alex Garland (of 28 Days Later fame) and directed by Pete Travis (of Vantage Point fame). Macdonald plans to ignore that movie featuring Sylvester Stallone that happened way back in 1995 by overhauling the new film to bring it back to its origins. I'm guessing this will be a rated R film because of the excess of gore and violence. But can it be any good?

Frankly, 28 Days Later was a solid film centered on an a post-apocalyptic setting. Let's face it, Judge Dredd is pretty much a post-apocalyptic setting, except with individuals that act as judge, jury and executioner. The budget for the film is only $60 million which means this isn't being shopped as a mega-blockbuster, but for that amount I could see it being surprisingly decent, if they do it right. At its core, Judge Dredd is about the character of the same name and his vision of an almost savage justice. He's the pinnacle of the judge class and is ready to dispense justice (whether it be punishment or execution) on a moment's notice.

The tricky thing here is casting. Since the budget is relatively small I don't think we can expect to see Stallone again (nor do I think anyone wants to see him again). The role will most likely go to a relative unknown on the film scene, but it's important to find someone beefy enough to play the role while bringing a certain sense of intelligence to the role. I mean, Judge Dredd didn't get by on just his position as judge alone. That's sort of what Stallone lacked in a sense in his version of the film.

One plea to Garland and Macdonald for the "reboot." Please, no Rob Schneider. I don't think we need him in this version.