I Am The LAW! Judge Dredd returns

[Thrall]

I'm thinking they might go like the comic this time. From what I understand it's basically just British alternative writers beating people over the head with the not-so-subtle message that American Superhero's are a bunch of Nazi's in funny costumes.

The Stallone film just kind of threw that arty farty cynicism out the window and satirized the hell out of it. Easily one of the best dumb action movies out there.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I have this weird feeling the new one won't have the sort of satrical comical take that Stallone's film had

Eh? The whole point of Dredd is that it's satire. It's a conglomeration of sci-fi tropes (and others, like Dirty Harry) thrown together in utterly over-the-top fashion, what else could it be than a comedy? They don't expect us to take it seriously, do they?

Maybe I've sold Stallone short here. I should check out his version. I got the impression it sucked precisely because he didn't realize it was supposed to be satirical and he played it straight.

Anyway, my vote for Dredd is Vin Diesel. He's already more of a comic book character than a human being, and he can do comedy (as well as being a better actor than most folks realize). What we don't want is any "normal" type action hero. This is the role that Diesel was born to play; he's had way too many movies that just weren't right for him (silly kiddie comedies for example). Diesel is perfect for an action-hero who is the most insane, absurd example of the type.

The Stallone film just kind of threw that arty farty cynicism out the window and satirized the hell out of it.

I never got the impression from the comics that there was any "arty farty cynicism" about it. It's always struck me as more of a gleeful wallow in how flat-out fun it is to take sci-fi, the revenge-cop genre, even Westerns, and mash them all together.

If there's anything finger-wagging or nannyish about Judge Dredd, I sure as shit missed it. That sort of thing would have killed all the fun dead, dead, dead, and then what's the point? Dredd is all about wish fulfillment fantasy and cultural tropes, nothing real about it at all. How can you "critique" the unreal? Which is there to critique precisely because it is popular, so what does that say about the people who like it, eg, all of us except for the stick-up-the-ass types?

Screw the stick-up-the-ass types. I sure hope this new bunch isn't that, because they'll fuck this up for sure and create another misfired abortion like Sunshine.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Perhaps Dredd should be played by a British actor, given that's where his origins as a character lie. How about Jason Statham?

 

[Fencer]

Perhaps Dredd should be played by a British actor, given that's where his origins as a character lie. How about Jason Statham?

Except the characters an American, though this doesn't preclude a Brit playing him. I don't think Statham has the right presence.

The big question is what story line are they going to go with? The Dark Judges? Block War? Origins? The Day the Law died?

The Dark Judges was toted as a possible movie a few years ago. Judge Death is one of the more iconic enemies of Judge Dredd but I don't know if its something that you want to do after the latest batch of comic book movies.

America? It's consistently praised as being the best Dredd story ever and it is one of the more somber pieces. Some excellent set pieces which would be powerful on screen. The downside is that kind of focuses on the America and Beeny rather then Dredd.

 

[The Wormhole]

Judge Dredd? Really now, is there no franchise that Hollywood isn't willing to bring back from obscurity and pimp out into a new movie?

How long before we get a new Mario Bros. movie? Hell, Sonic the Hedgehog is long overdue for a movie.

Thomas the Tank Engine is in need of being reimagined for a grown-up audience where coal is an analogy for cocaine.

Oh, I don't know, has there been any word yet on maybe bringing back Power Rangers? Oh wait, they still exist in some form, don't they?

 

[Aragorn]

Well, to counter Michael Bay and the Transformers juggernaut, a studio could always bring to life... Gobots! Kiefer Sutherland as Leader One! Sylvester Stallone as Cy-Kill! Will Smith as Turbo! And to garner the Transformers G1 fans, Frank Welker as Tux!

 

[Dusty Ayres]

Wouldn't it be better to make an animated movie about Judge Dredd, maybe even a Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within-type CGI animated movie? That would make having Dredd's helmet be on all the time a lot easier, and most of the characters would be a lot more easier to be realized. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Perhaps Dredd should be played by a British actor, given that's where his origins as a character lie. How about Jason Statham?

Except the characters an American

AFAIK, by Dredd's time, there *is* no America, so the point is somewhat moot.

 

[cylkoth]

Judge Dredd? Really now, is there no franchise that Hollywood isn't willing to bring back from obscurity and pimp out into a new movie?

How long before we get a new Mario Bros. movie? Hell, Sonic the Hedgehog is long overdue for a movie.

Thomas the Tank Engine is in need of being reimagined for a grown-up audience where coal is an analogy for cocaine.

Oh, I don't know, has there been any word yet on maybe bringing back Power Rangers? Oh wait, they still exist in some form, don't they?

Personally, I've been waiting for a Rainbow Brite and My Little Pony-The Motion Picture.

 

[JonathonWally]

Judge Dredd? Really now, is there no franchise that Hollywood isn't willing to bring back from obscurity and pimp out into a new movie?

How long before we get a new Mario Bros. movie? Hell, Sonic the Hedgehog is long overdue for a movie.

Thomas the Tank Engine is in need of being reimagined for a grown-up audience where coal is an analogy for cocaine.

Oh, I don't know, has there been any word yet on maybe bringing back Power Rangers? Oh wait, they still exist in some form, don't they?

Personally, I've been waiting for a Rainbow Brite and My Little Pony-The Motion Picture.

There already was a My Little Pony movie, I had to go see it with my cousins when I was a kid.

 

[Bishbot]

Judge Dredd? Really now, is there no franchise that Hollywood isn't willing to bring back from obscurity and pimp out into a new movie?

That's a really weird attitude. Judge Dredd has been a classic comic icon for a long time now and really could use a decent movie interpretation, which the last one really wasn't. A lot of people seem to be considering this as a remake of the previous movie and it really really won't be. Forget that movie, the general public already has.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

I thought that the Judge Dredd comic world was satirical to some degree

At its best, it is to a high degree.

In an issue of the Megazine itself, the movie was discussed and the thought was that to make it accurate to the comic, would mean it aped Robocop too much. Just as enough time has elapsed to make it possible, a remake of Robocop arrives

The funny thing is, since Dredd runs in 'real time' (the strip's been running for 30 years, and Dredd's now 30 years older than when it started) Stallone would still be about the right age for the part.

Nicely ironic, the view of the comic's staff was that Stallone was a good choice for Dredd, he certainly had the chin

 

[EnsignRicky]

I liked the first Judge Dredd as well as Demolition Man; They're two of my favorite Rob Schneider flicks.

 

[PointyHairedJedi]

Honest to goodness, Stallone was one of the better things about that film. The look of Mega City One was very well done too, so despite the not so fabulous parts, I still find it pretty enjoyable.

If there's another film in development, well, it could be good. Or it could be awful. I'd quite like to see the Judge Child saga on screen myself, lots of colour in that one, and it ends with Dredd being his usual magnificent bastard self of course.

Ah, if only Peter Jackson were as big a fan of Dredd as he is of LoTR...

 

[Sephiroth]

Stallone's chin was dead-on for Dredd's, on one of the few issues I own, Dredd had been knocked down and his helmet had slipped up an nch or so, and I swore they drew Stallone in that panel, as for the movie, it would be an awesome film experiment to start from the beginning and do the whole story line in real time

 

[Starkers]

I'm thinking they might go like the comic this time. From what I understand it's basically just British alternative writers beating people over the head with the not-so-subtle message that American Superhero's are a bunch of Nazi's in funny costumes.

The Stallone film just kind of threw that arty farty cynicism out the window and satirized the hell out of it. Easily one of the best dumb action movies out there.

Actually that sounds more like Marshal Law than Dredd.

Dredd is a fascist though, and Mega City 1 is something of a fascist state, although interestingly whilst one could see Dredd as left wing satire, in some respects it's quite right wing. Time after time the point seems to be that however bad MC1 is, it'd be worse without the judges!

It's quite ironic that many of the comic's ideas ofver the years (society ruled by CCTV, police with extrajudicial powers) are more likely to happen here in the UK than the states!

I'd be almost tempted to say Dredd needs to be British--Clive Owen would be great I think.

That said there's a lot about the Stallone film to like (and a lot not too) I was actually more pissed off by the kiss at the end than Stallone taking his helmet off.

 

[SalvorHardin]

it would be an awesome film experiment to start from the beginning and do the whole story line in real time

My name is Judge Dredd and this is the longest day of my life.

The following takes place between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM

 

[Sephiroth]

it would be an awesome film experiment to start from the beginning and do the whole story line in real time

My name is Judge Dredd and this is the longest day of my life.

The following takes place between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM

hey, you Idiots eat up 24

 

[SalvorHardin]

I wouldn't mind seeing them bring the Apocalypse War storyline onscreen...
Maybe spread it over more than one movies ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_War

 

[JoeZhang]

I'm thinking they might go like the comic this time. From what I understand it's basically just British alternative writers beating people over the head with the not-so-subtle message that American Superhero's are a bunch of Nazi's in funny costumes.

Your understanding is completely incorrect - maybe 3 stories in 30 years feature that message. How would they even be alternative writers as 2000ad is the only mainstream weekly comic (besides the beano)!

The Stallone film just kind of threw that arty farty cynicism out the window and satirized the hell out of it. Easily one of the best dumb action movies out there.

Well since you were complete wrong about what the comic has been about, you were complete wrong about how successful the film was at "satirizing the hell" of the original concept.