“I am the Law!!!” But will ‘Judge Dredd‘ also be a tv star? Rebellion has announced they’re planning to bring a Mega City One series to the television screen…
Though it’s early days, there are major movements towards a television series based on 2000AD‘s cult future law-enforcer Judge Dredd.
Fans know that there have been two attempts to bring the character to the screen in the past, first with Sylvester Stallone under the helmet in 1995 and more recently a better-received version with Karl Urban – but this will be the first time that television will have sought to capture the expansive chaos of Mega City One and its controversial, hard-hitting characters.
Industry magazine Entertainment Weekly broke the story with an exclusive promotional poster for the project and Rebellion – the owners of 2000AD have been quick to discuss what they’re hoping to do. Producer Brian Jenkins and Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley appear in the video below, stating their aspirations for the project which is currently entitled ‘Judge Dredd: Mega-City One‘.
For those less familiar with the character, Judge Dredd is the most uncompromising law enforcer (or ‘Judge’) one of hundreds of Judges who patrol the massive metropolis of Mega City One, an urban sprawl covering most of America’s eastern seaboard in the 22nd Century. He is ruthless and adheres to the judge-jury-executioner status his rank entails…. seen as a hero by some an a fascistic thug by others. The villains or ‘perps’ come in a wide range of extremes, chaos around every corner with threats big and small. Since his debut in the second issue of 2000AD back in 1977 we’ve never seen his real face, he’s always shown in shadow or with his helmet and uniform intact.
IM Global and independent U.K. games developer/publisher Rebellion will work together on the concept for the television show, though there’s no news as yet of casting, schedule or where the series would ultimately appear if successful.
“This is one of those seminal sci-fi properties that seems to only become and more relevant with age,” said IM Global Television‘s president Mark Stern (who has previously developed the likes of Battlestar Galactica, Helix and Defiance) in a statement. “Not only is it a rich world with biting social commentary, but it’s also fun as hell! As a fan of the comics and both films, it’s a dream come true to be able to work with Jason and Chris Kingsley (owners of Rebellion) in adapting this for television.”