Urban's "Dredd" Is The Law

Sneak Peek actor Karl Urban ("Star Trek") as superhero cop 'Judge Dredd', in the upcoming DNA Films' motion picture comic book adaptation, "Judge Dredd".

Co-starring actrees Lena Heady ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") as the villain 'Madeline Madrigal' (aka 'Ma-Ma'), the $45 million budgeted, 3D adaptation is currently in CG post-production.

Urban ("Star Trek") stars as 'Judge Joseph Dredd', a law enforcement officer from the futuristic 'Mega-City One', for director Pete Travis ("Vantage Point"), from a screenplay by Alex Garland ("Sunshine").

Reliance BIG Pictures and IM Global, a Reliance international sales company, financed the live-action feature, based on the 2000 AD Publishing character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.

"The main thing about 'Dredd' is that it’s a fantastic comic," said producer Andrew Macdonald.

"Our idea was to make a very hard, R-rated, gritty, realistic movie of 'Dredd' in 'Megacity', so we had to get the tone right...he’s going to hit people and it’s going to feel real."

"Alex Garland’s script is faithful to the original concept that made 'Judge Dredd' a favourite bad-ass hero," said "Dredd" comic book co-creator Wagner.

"This adaptation of 'Judge Dredd' will have an emphasis on adrenaline and realism, but with all the scale and spectacle of 'Mega-City One'."

igned Michael Murphy ("District 9") as a South

Inspired by Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry", Dredd is a law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine powers of police, judge, jury and executioner.

Dredd and his fellow Judges are empowered to arrest, sentence and execute criminals on the spot.

With 'bionic' eyes implanted after a time-traveling mission to the 'City Of The Damned', Dredd uses a 'lawgiver' pistol, while riding a cannon-mounted, artificial intelligence 'lawmaster' chopper.

In the begining, 'Joseph Dredd' and his brother 'Rico' were cloned from the DNA of 'Chief Judge Fargo', the first chief judge. Their growth was artificially accelerated, emerging in 2066 with all the appropriate knowledge for their age electronically implanted in their brains by computer, during gestation.

The name 'Dredd' was chosen by genetic scientist 'Morton Judd', to "instill fear in the population."

In 2070 the Dredds saw action for the first time during the 'Atomic Wars', when as cadets, they were temporarily fast-tracked through the 'Academy Of Law', assigned the rank of full judge and sent to restore order, following the US Justice Department deposing 'President Booth'.

Joseph excelled as a judge, rapidly gaining promotion to the rank of 'Senior Judge', while saving the world from being destroyed during the 'Fourth World War'.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek the 1995 feature "Judge Dredd" ,..