Tag: Judge Dredd

On ”Game of Thrones,” Lena Headey plays Cersei Lannister, the diabolical but damaged queen who hides behind a face of royal beauty, but fans of the HBO medieval epic might need a moment to recognize the British actress in the sci-fi film “Dredd,” which is scheduled to arrive in September. Like Cersei, Madeline “Ma-Ma” Madrigal ruthlessly puts down all challenges to her authority, but her scarred face is no facade — it’s more like a map of the cruel metropolis called Mega City One. In a world scorched and sickened by radiation wars, Mega City One is one of the last pockets of civilization but it tests the bottom limits of the word. Madrigal is the fierce gang leader who rules Peach Tree City Block and that puts her squarely in the sights of the film’s title character, Judge Joseph Dredd — played by Karl Urban of “Star Trek” ...

This March marks the 35th anniversary of Judge Dredd but, more importantly, this may be the year that Hollywood finally does justice to the hard-hearted lawman of Mega-City One. The character is one of the signature creations on the British comics scene (Empire Magazine ranked him the seventh greatest character in all comics, in fact, one spot ahead of the Joker and just two behind Spider-Man) and a clear influence on the dystopian mayhem of both “Robocop” and Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns.” But, today, for most Americans, the name Judge Dredd draws a blank look or, worse, a groan thanks to the shiny, torpid 1995 Sylvester Stallone film. That may change in September when Lionsgate, director Pete Travis (“Vantage Point“) and star Karl Urban (Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the new “Star Trek” franchise) deliver a new big-screen version of the anti-hero titled simply “Dredd.” Comics fans of a ...