Outstanding Concept Art Spurs the Campaign for a Dredd Sequel!

2012's Dredd didn't exactly set the box office on fire; it earned just over $41 million, against an estimated budget of $30-45 million. In spite of this, Dredd remains a fan favorite to this day. By September 2013, Dredd was estimated to have earned approximately $10 million in home media sales in North America, while in the UK it marked over 270 days in Amazon's top 100 selling home media.

The film gave a comics-accurate vision of an apocalyptic world, with Judge Dredd as a champion who fights for law and order. It's best compared to the modern Marvel Netflix TV shows; dark and dangerous, brooding and intense. Critics disliked Dredd for its violence, but the brutal realism earned it a firm place in fans' hearts.

Fans have continued to push for a sequel, with 2000AD Online driving a fan petition that's currently got over 200,000 signatures. The goal is to show that there's real fan interest in seeing the unlikely cult classic Dredd brought back to life. Although there have been some positive signs, sadly Karl Urban - the man who brought Dredd to life - has admitted that these are still little more than discussions. So it's down to fans to keep interest high for Dredd 2!

Enter Screen Geek!

A key part of getting a Dredd 2 film made will be ensuring there's constant momentum for the film. So Screen Geek took the unusual step of commissioning some gorgeous concept art!

The image shows Judge Dredd — the powerhouse law enforcer of this dystopian land — in battle with Judge Death. Judge Death is a terrifying enemy from an alternate world where all life has been deemed illegal, since only the living commit crimes. He's a creature of pure evil, and one of Judge Dredd's deadliest enemies; he was actually pitched for Dredd 2 to Fox, but the studio turned it down. According to John Wagner, co-creator of Judge Dredd, they wanted "more nuts and bolts" before going to the metaphysical worlds.

Karl Urban has said there are ongoing discussions about Dredd 2, but we don't yet know what the sequel would look like. My own suspicion is that, whether this will become a film or a TV series, it will be more likely aired on Netflix. The success of Marvel's Netflix has proved that the streaming service is ideal for darker, more violent stories. The original Dredd originally received criticism for just that kind of tone and style, so the sequel would be better suited to Netflix than to the cinemas. What's more, the 2000AD petition explicitly references Netflix, HBO, and Amazon Prime, suggesting fans are keen to see the franchise moving in that direction.

For now, Dredd fans, we owe Screen Geek a vote of thanks for keeping up the momentum behind Dredd 2! Here at Movie Pilot, we'll keep you posted on any further news as we hear it!