Dredd 2: Why A Sequel Hasn’t Happened Yet And Where It’s At Now
Dredd star Karl Urban has been talking about much he loves the movie and how willing he is to make Dredd 2.
This article is more than 2 years old
We’re used to living in a world where adaptations of comic books are some of the biggest movies that come out in any given year. Even the bad ones usually top a few hundred million. The 2012 movie Dredd, however, was a complete and utter failure at the box office when it was released in September 2012. Despite only bringing in $35 million worldwide, it found a second life on home video. Dredd broke sales records on home video (that was still a thing back then), and fans have been clamoring for Dredd 2 ever since.
Dredd star Karl Urban has been talking about much he loves the movie and how willing he is to make Dredd 2 almost since the day it was released, and he hasn’t stopped.
So now, eight-years later here’s the state of things, straight from Karl Urban to fans at C2E2. Are we getting Dredd 2 or not? Karl Urban says, “Listen, I would love to make it, I’m on the record saying that a bunch of times. I don’t know if that’s gonna happen. I think that the guys that own the rights to Dredd, Rebellion, I think they’re developing something called ‘Mega-City One’ and it would just be great to see more Dredd, whether it’s with me or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m a fan of Dredd and there’s so many great stories there. I’d love to see them. And I have no doubt that, someday, someone will make it. It’s just a matter of time.”
Mega-City One is a TV series project set in the world of Judge Dredd, that apparently either wouldn’t have Dredd in it or wouldn’t have Karl Urban playing Dredd in it. If they’re planning on using Dredd as a character but not planning on using Karl Urban to play him… they must be completely crazy. And meanwhile, even that Mega-City One project at this point seems like it’s a pretty long shot to happen.
But don’t blame Karl Urban for this Dredd 2 production failure. He’s gone above and beyond to try and make this happen and be thankful to fans of the now cult-hit movie. He’s posted numerous videos like this one in support…
Ultimately though, it hasn’t gone anywhere, at least not yet.
Why Hasn’t Dredd 2 Happened Yet?
The movie’s terrible box office performance is a huge obstacle to making Dredd 2 happen. However, other cult movies which did even worse have managed to get sequels after finding post-theatrical success. So there’s more to it than that.
One of the biggest problems is that, aside from Karl Urban, it sounds like few of the people involved in Dredd actually want anything to do with it in the future. The production was apparently a tortured mess.
Pete Travis is credited as the movie’s writer and Alex Garland is credited as its writer, but one of the behind the scenes secrets of the film is that Garland actually had to step in and direct it. Karl Urban explained to JoBlo, “A huge part of the success of Dredd is in fact due to Alex Garland and what a lot of people don’t realize is that Alex Garland actually directed that movie”
Alex Garland’s efforts saved the film and delivered an awesome product, and he got no credit. So it makes sense when Garland says of whether he’d make Dredd 2, “No. It was a pretty crude experience, for a bunch of reasons. At the end of it, I didn’t want to go back. I love Dredd, by which I mean I love the character, but I’m not in any hurry to do that again.”
So while Karl Urban is all in, Alex Garland is never touching this thing again. Combine that with that terrible initial box office performance and it makes sense that Dredd 2 would have a tough time getting off the ground.
If there’s any hope at all for Dredd 2 to happen, it relies on the fans. You can start by telling Alex Garland how much you love his movie, and how much you want more of it. Tweet him and beg him to make Dredd 2 by simply CLICKING HERE.
While you wait for someone to wake up and make Dredd 2, enjoy Dredd: The Musical…
