Is Waititi The Ideal Choice For A New Dredd Movie?
Apparently Taika Waititi will be directing a new Judge Dredd movie. Like many 2000AD fans this makes me simultaneously excited and a little concerned.
Of course, Waititi has previously been attached to a lot of things that have yet to come to fruition, so we’ll see. He’s also been attached to Incal and Flash Gordon (which I think he’d be perfect for).
2000AD has a lot of weird and satirical elements, so it could work
I should mention from the start that I am a colossal 2000AD fan. From 1982 onwards, starting when I was 10 and broke, I would buy every magazine that came out. When I was 18, I moved back to Hong Kong, but I was still able to get monthly editions and read them avidly. Sadly, I don’t do that now, but I am slowly buying all the collections and graphic novels instead. The 2000AD app is also great.
I grew up reading Conan and 2000AD and am very protective of both. (I also loved Batman and Spiderman, but not as much.) There is so much potential for cinematic versions of 2000AD characters, it shocks me there haven’t been more.
Although Judge Dredd is the best known character, 2000AD has a lot of other stories going on, such as Rogue Trooper, Nemesis the Warlock, Slaine, ABC Warriors, Strontium Dog, and more. I am mostly listing personal favourites. Not all of them exist in the same world, but quite a few cross over with Dredd and the Mega Cities.
The comics were aimed at adults and were a satirical look at a post apocalyptic society, where billions are crammed into mega cities, drugs and crime run rampant, and everyone is kept in line by the Judges. The most famous of which was Dredd.
Dredd is essentially an anti-hero. He starts off fully believing in the system and will do anything to uphold the law. He is a bit grim (although has a dark sense of humour) and is awesomely violent. The world of Mega City is harsh and chaotic, but it does have a lot of satire, humour, and weirdness. The media and what people get up to are extreme versions of now.
There are insane things people do for entertainment, like underground eating competitions that sometimes end in death, and hoverboard races that also sometimes end in death. There are also robots that go insane; a populace that live in mega-blocks that house tens of thousands of people and occasionally go to war with other mega blocks; and enemies like the Dark Judges, who come from another dimension and sentence everyone to death. Outside the mega cities there is a wasteland full of mutants that set up their own insane civilisations.
Basically, there is a lot of scope and the opportunity for someone like Waititi to add his own brand satirical quirkiness. But I retain massive reservations.
Is Waititi the right choice for director?
This is the problem. I think he would be good for a different story set in the 2000AD world. Warlock the Nemesis, maybe. I don’t think he is right for a Dredd story unless he changes his style.
Sticking with comic book films and Waititi – I absolutely loved Thor: Ragnarok but like most, thought Thor: Love and Thunder was too much. But neither would work well in a 2000AD setting. I adore What We Do In The Shadows (that’s my review), and it can be dark, but I still don’t think the style would be a good match for Dredd.
But it is possible that Waititi will make more of an effort to dial down the whimsy. His last few films haven’t done all that well, and hopefully he’ll reflect on that and tone it down. I generally like his stuff, and if he reigns it in a bit, it might work.
Two things to be positive about:
1/ Waititi will be working with Drew Pearce, who wrote Iron Man 3, Fall Guy and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. All of which I enjoyed. None are similar to Dredd, but still, he seems pretty reliable.
2/ Both Waititi and Pearce have said they grew up loving 2000AD, which must surely spark some optimism.
With Dredd Universe at stake, it needs to succeed.
As a Brit, I grew up with Judge Dredd and 2000AD, so it is always a shock to discover he isn’t as famous abroad as he should be. I don’t know if this has impacted reception to previous attempts to film Dredd. It shouldn’t – a good film is a good film – but it might.
The 1995 film with Sylvester Stallone, was mostly awful but kind of fun. They got the character wrong, the tone was stupid, and Dredd took his helmet off. But the city and the chaos were done pretty well.
The 2012 version was superb and Karl Urban nailed the character. I love that film. The only flaw was that the city was wrong. Mega City One was too sprawling – it is supposed to be the densest population of any city ever. But it was top-notch Dredd in all other aspects.
Add the city from the 1995 version and then use everything else from 2012 version and you have a perfect film.
And the stakes are potentially high. I don’t know how accurate this is, but The Hollywood Reporter wrote:
“The desire is to see the movie launch a Dredd universe that could be explored with additional movies and shows across various platforms.” (Source.)
Final thoughts and who I think should write and direct a Dredd film
As Waititi and Pearce are 2000AD fans, there is hope they will do it justice. Waititi just needs to tone it down a little. If they get it right, there is a chance of a new cinematic universe, and there are so many great stories and characters to draw from. But I am still anxious about Waititi.
Personally, I think a collaboration between Alex Garland and John Wagner (co-creator of Dredd) would produce a perfect script.
For directing, Villeneuve would be an obvious choice. Some of the humour and anarchic satire would be lost, but I reckon he could get enough interest to start a cinematic universe. Once that is established – call Paul Verhoeven to do a couple of films, Robocop‘s vibe would totally suit Mega City One and Dredd. You could then let others have a go and add their own touches – which could include people like Waititi and Jean-Pierre Jeunot.
Sadly I am not in charge, so I guess it is just a case of crossing my fingers and hoping.
If you want to delve into the world of Judge Dredd, there are a couple of good starting points:
The Apocalypse War is superb. It was written by John Wagner and Alan Grant – both of whom are legends – with Carlos Esquerra doing the art. Dredd was co-created by Wagner and Esquerra, and the addition of Moore (who would go on to do Watchmen, Swamp Thing, Superman, etc) adds extra genius. The story leading up to it is called Block War.
You can check out The Apocalypse War here.
If you really want to get into the character, you can start at the beginning with Judge Dredd the Complete Case files. Book one is mostly random stories from early days. Book two has the awesome Cursed Earth story. Book 5 has the Block War and The Apocalypse War (mentioned above).
The rest is up to you. Enjoy.
(The links to the comics are affiliate.)