Although I’m not sure anyone asked for it, another update to the source material, which spawned the 1995 Sylvester Stallone actioner Judge Dredd, is coming our way this fall and we’ve got the first footage today. Titled simply Dredd, Star Trek‘s Karl Urban is in the lead role, with indie staple Olivia Thirlby by his side. While Pete Travis seems to be directing with a bit more style here compared to his dud Vantage Point, it’s difficult to get excited for this one.
Thirlby looks way out of her element and while I shouldn’t be expecting anything stellar from this reboot, I was hoping Alex Garland (Sunshine, 28 Days Later) cooked up a more interesting story than what looks to be a simple, confined building take-over (akin to this year’s The Raid). One can check out the trailer below also featuring Lena Headey, Jason Cope, Langley Kirkwood, Kevon Kane, Joe Vaz, Warrick Grier, Scott Sparrow and Luke Tyler.
Synopsis:
The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One — a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge — a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of “Slo-Mo” experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.
During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture — a 200-story vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Heady) and her ruthless clan. When they capture one of the clan’s inner circle, Ma-Ma overtakes the compound’s control center and wages a dirty, vicious war against the Judges that proves she will stop at nothing to protect her empire. With the body count climbing and no way out, Dredd and Anderson must confront the odds and engage in the relentless battle for their survival.
Dredd arrives on September 21st, 2012.