Judge Joseph Dredd, a character who has been kicking ass since writer Carlos Ezquerra and artist John Wagner introduced him in the pages of 2000 A.D. thirty-five years ago, didn't get a fair shake at cinematic representation in 1996's Judge Dredd.  Now, though, a new effort to capture the Judge's authoritarian greatness is on the way, and it will hopefully wipe out the memory of Sylvester Stallone and Rob Schneider as a comedic duo.  It's been a few months since we've heard anything from Dredd, but today four new images show off Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby as judges.

News of some serious turbulence between creative figures during a film's postproduction naturally gives potential moviegoers the impression that the final product, no matter how far release it may be, could end up a crippingly flawed piece of work.  So when a rumor hits that a director has been locked out of editing, the filmmakers are going to have to get out in front of that rumor to assuage the fears of their audience.  Director Pete Travis and screenwriter/producer Alex Garland have done just that, issuing an official response to the story that Travis is off Dredd, the 3D science fiction actioner rebooting Judge Joseph Dredd, previously seen onscreen in the objectively objectionable Judge Dredd.

Judge Joseph Dredd, an over-the-top futuristic lawman created by writer John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra in the pages of Britain's 2000 A.D., made his big-screen debut in 1995's Judge Dredd.  Director Danny Cannon has publicly aired his dissatisfaction with the much-maligned film, owing to disputes between himself, star Sylvester Stallone, and producers.  An entirely new cinematic take on the character titled Dredd was supposed to do everything differently, returning to the character's roots.  It looks, though, like Dredd will resemble its unloved predecessor in at least one crucial respect: a director dissatisfied with the final product.  Director Pete Travis has reportedly been locked out of the editing process, with writer and producer Alex Garland taking over postproduction.

In 1995, the British comic book character Judge Joseph Dredd was first brought to cinematic life with Sylvester Stallone playing Mega-City One's biggest hardass.  The film was not exactly what fans had hoped for since Dredd's Dredd first 2000 AD appearance in 1977.  Factors including the overblown sensibility permeating every frame of film, Rob Schneider's role as a sidekick, and Stallone's codpiece helped turn Judge Dredd into a bit of a punchline, but a whole new creative team are taking on John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's creation with Dredd.  Things have been quiet on the film since production wrapped in South Africa, but today brings a new picture of Karl Urban in costume as the titular lawman.

Judge Dredd is coming back to the big screen, this time in the form of Karl Urban (Star Trek), who hopes to erase any lingering memories of the Sylvester Stallone version from 1995. Olivia Thirlby (Juno) will co-star, while Pete Travis (Vantage Point) directs.