Pete Travis’ Dredd, one of the most underrated comic book movies of the 2010s, has found a new life on Max. Based on the character from Rebellion Development’s comic book series, 2000 AD, this film shows Karl Urban as the masked Judge Dredd, who tries to restore order to a tower block in the dystopian Mega-City One when it is overtaken by a drug lord. Essentially a cyberpunk version of Die Hard, 2012’s Dredd achieved a considerable cult following, despite a lackluster performance at the box office.
Following Dredd‘s success on Max, the chances of a sequel being made seem to have gotten higher. While the original was a commercial disappointment, the development of a Dredd follow-up has been on and off over the years. Despite this troubled production, the fame of star Karl Urban and the ongoing popularity of his 2012 film on streaming prove that the action-thriller Dredd deserves a sequel.
Dredd’s Popularity On Max Proves Why The 2012 Movie Still Needs A Sequel
Dredd Has Proved That People Still Want A Sequel
The fact that Dredd started trending on Max after the film was added to its library proves that public demand for a sequel film or show remains. Though Dredd premiered roughly 13 years ago, the popularity it has on Max shows how people are still interested in the character, particularly Karl Urban’s version of him. Dredd may have flopped, but its audience on Max proves that people would pay money to see Urban portray the masked cop again in another cinematic adventure.
Dredd succeeded as a self-contained film without any sequel setups, but there are many more stories set in Dredd’s world just waiting to be told in another big-budget movie or series. Dredd is based on a long-running comic book series, so the filmmakers still have enough source material to help them make a sequel. The original film works by itself, but it is clear that Dredd’s journey is far from over.
Why Dredd 2 Never Happened
A Dredd Sequel Was Being Made, But Development Stopped
Following public demand for a Dredd sequel, IM Global and Rebellion Developments announced in 2017 that they were working on a follow-up series, Judge Dredd: Mega-City One. According to IGN, the series would follow the Judges as they “encounter the myriad challenges of a world in which east-coast cities have merged into a giant megalopolis.” Unfortunately, development for the series was stalled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Movieweb shared a statement from Rebellion Developments CEO Jason Kingsley regarding the production status of Judge Dredd: Mega-City One in July 2020:
“I want there to be a sequel. We’ve got the rights back so we can do it. We’ve just got to get rid of this virus thing that’s going on at the moment, and then hopefully things can kick off in all sorts of different areas of making film and TV. It’s just, it’s all very messed up at the moment for everybody. A lot of work has been done on all sorts of different scripts, actually. So Mega-City One, the TV show, basically we can’t go into production because of the [situation] and we’ve got scripts and everything is ready to go but the problem is, because of the [situation] and everybody’s funding changes and everyone’s shifting around.”
While the worldwide pandemic has ended, there has been little to no word about the development of Judge Dredd: Mega-City One resuming. However, based on Kingsley’s comments in 2020, it seems that he and the rest of the production team could continue whenever they can, as they already have the scripts ready. On top of that, Karl Urban expressed interested in a Dredd sequel and returning to star as the тιтular character.
Dredd Trending Shows Why A Sequel Is Still Worth Making
Dredd’s Success On Streaming Proves Dredd 2 Can Also Be A Hit
Many films trend when they’re added to a streaming service. Nevertheless, Dredd‘s newfound popularity on Max is understandable. Since it is both an action movie and a comic book movie, Dredd is designed to appeal to general audiences. Karl Urban’s presence in the film has also boosted its appeal, given the actor currently plays Billy Butcher on Amazon Prime Video’s hit series, The Boys. Urban is also set to appear as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2, which could help him and Dredd grow even more popular when the film premieres in October 2025.
Should Mortal Kombat 2 succeed in theaters, public interest in a Dredd sequel featuring Urban could increase after he becomes an even bigger movie star. If not, the fifth and final season of The Boys could make Urban even more popular while freeing up his work schedule to appear in another Dredd project. Either way, these projects may be the push needed to bring Judge Dredd: Mega-City One back into production.
Should Karl Urban reprise his role as Dredd in a sequel, such a project could boost the character’s popularity and warrant even more adaptations centered around him and the other characters in his dystopian, post-apocalyptic world
Though Judge Dredd isn’t as big a name as many of the characters from Marvel and DC, Dredd‘s performance on Max proves that there is still a fanbase out there itching to see this masked cop in a film or TV show. This cult following could be what Dredd needs to make another film or series succeed. Should Karl Urban reprise his role as Dredd in a sequel, such a project could boost the character’s popularity and warrant even more adaptations centered around him and the other characters in his dystopian, post-apocalyptic world.
Source: IGN, Movieweb
