What’s Taika Waititi up to after his “Klara And The Sun” adaptation? THR reports that it’s a surprising pivot. No, it’s not his “Star Wars” project (stuck in the Lucasfilm like so many others), or his now-dead “Akira” adaptation. Instead, it’s a new take on “Judge Dredd,” with writer Drew Pearce on board to pen the script, and the package has Hollywood studio heads all turning their heads.
On paper, it makes sense that a Waititi-directed “Judge Dredd” has all of Tinseltown scrambling. The New Zealand director has superhero movie pedigree, and delights in irreverent tones that match the original British comic book. And Pearce has the right touch when it comes to penning action films. “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” is the highlight of his resume, but there’s also “The Fall Guy,” “Hotel Artemis,” and Michael B. Jordan‘s upcoming “The Thomas Crowne Affair” remake. He and Waititi working in tandem should create a solid Dredd, especially since THR also notes the old friends were both fans of the comic book growing up. In that sense, this could be a passion project that works for Dredd devotees and general audiences alike.
But at the same time, isn’t a new “Judge Dredd” film coming over a decade too late? The 2012 film starring Karl Urban (and that Alex Garland wrote the script for and ghost-directed) was a cult hit and had many clamoring for a sequel that never transpired. If there were a time to make a film franchise for the character, it was 2013-2016. Thankfully for Waititi and Pearce, the memory of most general audience members is poor, and they won’t be thinking about “Dredd” once this hits theaters (no one was thinking about the disastrous 1995 film starring Sylvester Stallone in 2012).
But before Judge Dredd returns to the big screen, a studio needs to snatch this package up. Producers involved include Dredd rights holders Chris Kingsley, Jason Kingsley, and Ben Smith of Rebellion Developments, Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment, Jeremy Platt, Natalie Viscuso, and Pearce.
As for a story set-up, Waititi and Pearce won’t reveal their plans yet, but they plan to use the original comic as primary inspiration. For those familiar with the world of Dredd, the comic follows a police officer task with enforcing justice in Mega-City One, a near-future metropolis replete with crime and corruption. The violent, satirical comic examines the consequences of a militant judicial system taken to its most extreme endpoint, and it’s one of the most popular British comics ever created.
Stay tuned for more details on Waititi’s “Judge Dredd” as they emerge. As for a release date? Don’t expect this baby in theaters until 2027 at the earliest.
