JUDGE DREDD Reboot Will be 'Faithful' to it's Comic Origin Yet 'Completely Fresh'

Karl Urban, the star of Dredd, explains that the new film will explore the darker elements of Mega City One which fans of the long running comic series have been longing to see on screen.

Dredd, which has no relation to the 1995 Sylvester Stallone film (Judge Dredd), is spearheaded by DNA Films. Pete Travis is currently attached to direct a script penned by screenwriter Alex Garland (Sunshine, 28 Days Later). Karl Urban is set to portray the title character, while Olivia Thirlby has been cast to play Judge Cassandra Anderson; a young telepath who shadows the film's protagonist on his adventures. Recently, a plot synopsis for the film was leaked online; though the studio behind the film has yet to confirm it's validity:

DREDD takes us to the wild streets of Mega City One, the lone oasis of quasi-civilization on Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot – if necessary. The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and the frenetic vision of director Peter Travis bring DREDD to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film that returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s revered comic strip.

Urban shared his thoughts about the tone of Dredd with Empire Magazine, as well as how the film will reflect the satirical, belly-wheeling aspects of the 2000 AD comic:

"Alex Garland has done a fantastic job of writing a script that's faithful to the world [John] Wagner created, yet completely fresh in its execution. I'm hesitant to define it before it's actually been made [though]."

Unlike the previous film, which showed little of Dredd's grimace but much of Sylvester Stallone's face, Urban has confirmed that his version of the character will never remove his helmet; mimicking the mysterious element of the comic strip. Many actors shy away from roles that don't allow them to use every element of their talent, but Urban isn't worried about having half of his face covered for the film's entirety:

"You're taught as an actor that if you take away the eyes you have to think about what you're left with - there's the voice; there's body language. How a character does what he does speaks volumes. So those are the tools I will have to employ."

The $45 million dollar budgeted property, which will be shot in 3D, is scheduled to begin filming in South Africa within the next three months. Dredd will hit theaters in 2012.