Alex Garland Casts Doubt On Dredd 2

Although ‘Dredd’ fans are still clamouring for a sequel, screenwriter Alex Garland reveals that he’s not expecting it to happen.

In an interview with Collider, the original ‘Dredd’ writer admitted that while fans are desperate for a sequel, he doesn’t think he’ll be approached for ‘Dredd 2’.

“The thing people want, which is a sequel, I don’t think is going to happen,” he said. “I think it will happen (let me rephrase that) I don’t think it’s happening with me and the people who made the last one.”

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Released in 2012, ‘Dredd’ quickly became a cult classic amongst ‘Judge Dredd’ fans. Based on the classic 2000AD comic book, it starred Karl Urban as Judge Dredd in a film which had a lot in common with ‘The Raid’ by Gareth Evans.

Taking place entirely within a locked-down tower block, the Judges have to fight their way to the top in a battle against the nefarious crime lord, Ma-Ma.

Since then, ‘Dredd’ has been the subject of a huge fan campaign to get a sequel into production. Make A Dredd Sequel has so far managed to get over 100,000 facebook likes and prompted enormous sales of the film’s DVD and Blu-ray release.

But Alex Garland urges fans that this isn’t going to change anyone’s mind…

“I also feel a sense of responsibility because I know there are these people who do this stuff like they’ve got money and they spend money on a DVD to try and up the chance of a sequel getting made,” he said. “Because I don’t have an online profile or persona or anything like that I can’t speak to these people directly, but what I want to say is that’s so good of you, and thank you, but keep your money because the people who make the decisions don’t get moved by that kind of thing. They’re moved by other stuff, other equations, other algorithms.”

For now, it looks as though a ‘Dredd’ sequel is unlikely… at least, for the time being. And while Garland cleary isn’t holding out much hope, it seems he wasn’t so fussed on the first film either…

“The Dredd thing is a surprise,” he said. “It’s a really complicated set of emotions. I have a lot of regret about how things worked out with Dredd, but it’s very gratifying. The regret it—you do a kind of transaction, particularly with the creators of it, which is that we want to do this thing and honor what you did, and try to do it properly, and then the film will reward that trust. That act of faith and trust and decency. And I think that the film rewarded them in one sense, but not in another. I do believe it rewarded them creatively, unless they’re lying to me about that.”

“The story of Dredd is that of a failed movie,” he added . “Both times, for f**k’s sake. And to be party to that, when that was exactly the intention—to not do that—is kind of difficult.”

I can’t help thinking that perhaps Alex Garland is being a bit hard on himself… after all, bringing a much-loved comic book property to the big screen is no easy task. And let’s face it – ‘Dredd’ was miles better than the earlier Stallone version.

But will a sequel happen? For now, it sounds more like a pipe dream.

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Picture Credit: Lionsgate