Posted in: Amazon Studios, TV | Tagged: judge dredd, the boys

Judge Dredd: Amazon Series with Urban, The Boys EPs Rumors Shut Down

Rebellion's Jason Kingsley shut down rumors that Amazon was moving ahead with a Judge Dredd series from The Boys EPs and starring Karl Urban.

Okay, it's time for a modern pop culture history lesson. It was back in 2017 when the word first hit that entertainment studio IM Global and publisher Rebellion would be teaming up for Judge Dredd: Mega City One, a series based on the popular character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra that would reportedly spotlight an "ensemble drama about a team of Judges—futuristic cops invested with the power to be judge, jury, and executioner—as they deal with the challenges the future-shocked 22nd century throws at them." Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley (2000AD) offered some insights into their vision of what they wanted the series to be, sharing, "We want to capture the atmosphere of Dredd, we want all the crazy fashions and the kneepads. We're not going for comedy, but there will be moments of light and dark, just like in the comics."

At this point, we're going to jump ahead to July 2020, when Kingsley shared with the YouTube show V2A Emergency Broadcast System that the early stages of development on a "Judge Dredd" series were underway and that a script for a series was already in place. "I want there to be a sequel [to 2012's Dredd]. We've got the rights back so we can do it, we've just got to get rid of this virus thing [COVID] that's going on at the moment, and then hopefully things can kick off in all sorts of different areas of making film and TV, it's just– it's all very messed up at the moment for everybody," he shared.

Kinglsey continued, "A lot of work has been done on all sorts of different scripts, actually, so Mega-City One, the TV show. Basically, we can't go into production because of the [coronavirus pandemic], and we've got scripts and everything is ready to go, but the problem is, because of the pandemic, and everybody's funding changes and everybody's shifting around." As for the possibility of having Karl Urban and/or Olivia Thirlby from the 2012 sci-fi film, or Sylvester Stallone from the 1995 effort, take part, Kingsley sounded open to the idea: "Well if we can get people back, you know, we even joked that it would be quite fun to get Stallone back."

A month later, in August 2020, Urban was asked about the possibility of his returning to the role and if there had been any behind-the-scenes conversations during an interview to promote the second season of Amazon Prime's The Boys. "Well, listen, it's very, very early to get into any specifics on that, but I've gone on the record before saying that I would love to come back and be a part of that world and tell more Dredd stories. There is just a plethora of great, great stories within the Judge Dredd universe," Urban explained.

"I think that Jason [Kingsley] and his team – I think that the legacy of Judge Dredd is in great hands. And if I get the opportunity to work with those guys, you can bet your bottom dollar I will be there – because I think that it would be just a real rich and rewarding experience for, not only for us to collaborate, but for the fans. So, if that happens, that'd be fantastic and for whatever reason – and there are many – if it doesn't happen, then I wish them the best, and I can't wait to see what they do," Urban continued.

Since then, things have been a bit quiet in terms of official news regarding a series other than rumors and rumblings. In fact, the latest rumblings on social media are that Prime Video is close to green-lighting a Judge Dredd series from The Boys executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, with Urban reprising the role. We're not sure what sparked the latest dumpster fire of random speculation – maybe it has to do with The Boys getting ready to end its run after five seasons, or how Prime Video has been in the IP-building business lately. Whatever the reason, Kingsley took to Facebook to make it clear that those rumblings are baseless for one very important reason: you can't make a deal like that without involving those who own the rights.

"I've just been surprised by the latest rumour about a Judge Dredd series by Amazon and the producers of 'The Boys' and starring the excellent Karl Urban. That would be great, potentially, but I'm pretty sure we'd have had to negotiate a contract and been part of the creative process," Kingsley posted, shutting down the rumors in one of the most definitive ways possible. "To summarise, it isn't true." We agree: a lineup like that would be exciting – but for now, it sounds like it's all just wishful thinking.

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