Olivia Thirlby, IM Global Make Judgment About "Judge Dredd"

Olivia Thirlby, IM Global Make Judgment About "Judge Dredd"

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

Any fans of the original "Judge Dredd" series must have cringed at the sight of the 1995 Sylvester Stallone version. I was only eight, so you can forgive me for thinking that it was a fun action movie to watch. Thankfully, now I am older and wiser, and so is the studio that's rebooting the franchise.

Just added to the cast of the new film is the talented young actress, Olivia Thirlby ("Juno"), who has scored the role of Cassandra Anderson according to Variety.

The character is described as a telepathic rookie who shadows Dredd in this $45 million futuristic neo-noir comic book adaptation starring Karl Urban as the enforcer delivering justice to the streets of Mega-City One.

The film will be in 3-D (groan). The character’s inclusion is just one of many indications that the reboot will embrace its original comic book source material. Thank God for that.

An official synopsis has been released.  It has Mega City One as "the lone oasis of quasi-civilization on Cursed Earth," while Dredd "is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot--if necessary." Essentially, all of this says it will be a return to the "dark, visceral incarnation" of the character seen in the original comics. And thanks God for that--again.

Pete Travis ("Vantage Point," "Omagh") directs from a script by Alex Garland ("Sunshine," "28 Days Later"). Garland is one of the best writers out there and is underrated in his own right, having worked on "The Beach" and Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later."

So far, “Judge Dredd” comic creator John Wagner has been pleased with the film’s faithful comic pre-production content, as has star and longtime “Dredd” reader Karl Urban.

With the two of those thinking things are looking good, it might actually mean things are looking good. Honestly, anything compared to the Stallone movie would be better, but it's good to get it accurate for once.

With casting almost complete, "Judge Dredd" will debut in 2012.