Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi is set to direct a new adaptation of the comic book character Judge Dredd, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Drew Pearce, known for writing Iron Man 3 and Hobbs & Shaw, will pen the script.
Both Waititi and Pearce are reportedly childhood fans of the character. In a 2022 interview, Waititi cited Judge Dredd as an influence on his Marvel films. The new version is said to be more faithful to the original comics and will incorporate dark humour, with plans to launch a universe spanning film and television.
Judge Dredd, a law enforcement officer in a dystopian society, first appeared in the British comic 2000 AD in the late 1970s. Previous film adaptations include a 1995 version starring Sylvester Stallone, which underperformed, and a 2012 film, Dredd, starring Karl Urban, which received better reviews but was also a commercial disappointment.
Waititi won an Oscar for best original screenplay for Jojo Rabbit and directed two Thor sequels. His most recent film, Next Goal Wins, was a critical and financial failure. He is currently working on an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun and has been linked to a project with Steven Spielberg.
