During the Dredd 3D panel at the London Film and Comic Con last July, screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later) spoke about the possibility of developing a trilogy around 2000 AD’s iconic lawman of the future, stating that the Karl Urban-headlined reboot would need to gross over $50 million in the U.S. for him to get the green light on a sequel. Sadly, despite being well-received by fans, Dredd only managed to pull in $32.7m worldwide, but with the film now enjoying a successful home-entertainment release there’s a renewed optimism that Dredd could still go on to do enough business to warrant a follow-up. Director Pete Travis certainly thinks so, but if a sequel does get the go ahead, it’s unlikely he’ll be heading back to Mega-City One himself.
“I don’t think [I’d direct the sequel],” states Travis in an interview with MovieWeb. “I really hope there is a second one. I just feel very lucky to have been involved in the first one. It has been a great experience for me. I read Alex Garland’s script two years ago, and I feel in love with it then. I have enjoyed the whole process of working on that with him, and bringing it to the screen. It was extraordinary. I hope they get the chance to make another one. I think Dredd is an extraordinary character. I think Karl Urban captured him so perfectly. I think there is a real beautiful future there.”
Garland has already revealed that his plans for a trilogy would see Judge Dredd paying a visit to the Cursed Earth in the second movie, leading to the arrival of the Dark Judges in the third, and Travis went on to elaborate a little about the possibilities for the potential sequels:
“I think there is a whole exciting journey in front of Dredd if Alex and Karl Urban get to take him on that journey. The future is really exciting for him. Especially in terms of going with some of the other characters from the comic book. Finding out more about where Dredd comes from. I also think its exciting, the possibilities. The first film does go all out as a visual feast. Whoever gets a chance to do the others will take that, and make it even more exciting. I can’t wait to see it. I don’t really know how the sequel thing works, really. I hope they get another chance to make a second film. I think Karl Urban…He is Dredd. It would be really exciting for them to make another, and go further with that character. I sincerely hope so.”
Dredd 3D was released today on Blu-ray and DVD here in the UK.
Originally published January 14, 2013. Updated November 29, 2022.
