If you were still hoping that, despite faltering at the box office, the 2012 incarnation of Judge Dredd with Karl Urban in the suit might still spawn a sequel, you should probably try moving into the acceptance stage of grief now. Because, according to producer Adi Shankar, it’s not going to happen.
Talking with fans during a Reddit AMA – or Ask Me Anything online Q&A – Shankar addressed several questions about the Dredd sequel’s prospects, but was brutally honest in his assessment of why it won’t happen, at least in the foreseeable future. “It’s because the movie totally bombed and R-rated movies are a tough sell to begin with," says Shankar. "If Dredd becomes a cult hit it will be awesome. Last September was a terrible month: Dredd bombed and then Looper became a massive hit a week later!”
Still, there is at least some hope for more Dredd. "I am working on a Dredd short in the vein of #DirtyLaundry... you’re actually the first person to know about this...” In case you’re wondering, the hashtagtastic title refers to a short created by Thomas Jane and backed by Shankar, which features Jane as the Punisher in all but name (see it below.) It’s certainly an intriguing, copyright-short cutting idea for Dredd, and the low-fi approach of the universe as seen in Alex Garland and Pete Travis’ film might lend itself to the thriftier budgets of shorts.
For now, however, it appears the only way we’ll see Mega-City One’s toughest lawman is on Blu-ray.