Did we not just ask what the deal was with “Dredd“? As we previously mentioned, this comic book adaptation has been practically off everybody’s radar for months, despite the occasional news blurb or a fuzzy photo. On Monday we got to see Karl Urban decked out in the Judge Dredd uniform, which looked pretty cool, and now the film has been slapped with a release date.
According to Variety, the post-converted 3D “Dredd” will be blasting its way into theaters Sept. 21, 2012, only two weeks before their release of another 3D franchise entry, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Lionsgate has become quite the franchise machine, especially since it’ll also be unleashing Simon West‘s “Expendables 2” upon us all mere weeks before “Dredd.”
Based on the popular “Judge Dredd” comic series, “Dredd” has that Alex Garland script we told you about that really captures the spirit of this character, as well as the comic. And with a plot that involves a war on narcotics in an apartment block called Peach Trees, this film could potentially be a comic adaptation worth caring about, especially since the last film adaptation was by no means memorable (think Rob Schneider).
While it boasts a great cast with Urban, Olivia Thirlby, and Lena Headey, along with Garland’s screenplay all in the plus column, the only unknown factor here is director Pete Travis. While Travis has done some great work with projects like the Ray Winstone-starring “Henry VIII,” his most notable foray into action was the fast-paced thriller “Vantage Point.” If you’re scratching your head to remember that one, please don’t, you’ll only begin to worry about the end result of this project.
With news coming out of San Diego Comic-Con at a pretty steady pace and Lionsgate probably looking to start the marketing machine on this one early, don’t be surprised if we hear a little more about “Dredd” this weekend. Perhaps maybe even a teaser trailer? Then again, we still have a long wait before September 2012.
