Karl Urban Says He’d Return For More Judge Dredd in a Heartbeat
Karl Urban has built a seriously cool career jumping between some of the biggest comic book worlds out there. From the Marvel Cinematic Universe to gritty indie adaptations and ultra-violent streaming hits, the guy clearly loves this genre. But there’s one role in particular that still sticks with him, and it has nothing to do with The Boys.
Urban recently spoke with The Playlist’s Discourse and made it clear that if the opportunity came knocking at his door, he’d be ready to put the helmet back on as Judge Dredd.
“I would love to reprise that role in a heartbeat. I really would. I had so much fun making that movie,” Urban said. “If I’m not part of it, then I’m all good with it. I just want to see more Dredd stories.”
Before becoming Billy Butcher on The Boys, Urban suited up as Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok and even starred in the comic-inspired action film Red. He also appeared in Priest, based on the Korean comic series. But for a lot of fans, his role as Dredd remains one of his most underrated performances.
Dredd was the second big-screen attempt at adapting the iconic 2000 AD comic book series Judge Dredd. The first was the 1995 film Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone, which didn’t land well with critics or fans. Urban’s version, on the other hand, leaned hard into the brutal tone of the comics and earned respect for how it handled the character and story.
In the film, Urban’s Dredd patrols the crime-ridden streets of Mega-City One, where judges act as police, jury, and executioner. When he and a rookie judge get trapped inside a towering apartment block controlled by a ruthless crime boss played by Lena Headey, it becomes a savage fight to the top. The movie earned an 80 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and developed a strong cult following over the years.
A new Dredd movie is reportedly in development, with Taika Waititi attached to direct. That raises some big questions. Waititi’s style is very different from the hard-edged tone of the 2012 film, so this new project could take the character in a completely different direction. Urban isn’t expected to be involved in the project.
Whether that means a lighter, more stylized version of Mega-City One or something totally unexpected remains to be seen. But Urban’s comments show there’s no bad blood. He simply wants more stories from that world, with or without him.
I’d love to see Urban back in the role of Dredd and so would a lot of other fans. It’s a shame that we never got that much deserved sequel.