Shoreline, 2000 AD lock Dredd deal for two pics
'Reckoning,' 'Possession' to follow Sly's '95 adaptation
First pic under the pact, "Judge Dredd: Dredd Reckoning," will be produced by Morris Ruskin and Vicki Pike, co-partners of Shoreline with Jason Kingsley and Andy Prendergast of computer game creator Rebellion.
The Dredd character was previously adapted for the screen in the 1995 film "Judge Dredd," starring Sylvester Stallone as the heroic lawkeeper of a 22nd century metropolis whose mantra is "I am the Law."
Pic, directed by Danny Cannon, was produced by Cinergi and Hollywood Pictures and released by Buena Vista Pictures in the U.S.
Shoreline's Dredd pic, which will see the hero losing confidence in the corrupt legal system, will be shot back-to-back with next pic under the deal, "Judge Dredd: Possession," in which Dredd has to face up to the moral dilemma of having to kill his partner when she is possessed by Judge Death.
"We are reinventing the franchise by taking it back to the edge and style of the original comicbook," said Ruskin.
Superheroes in
"This is a great time for movies about superheroes," Pike added, "and there are thousands of Judge Dredd stories, so there is endless material available to work with. It will also be easier to brand the movies by presenting them back-to-back."
Rebellion recently bought the rights to turn the Judge Dredd franchise into a computer game. Through its film production arm, Fearnort Films, Rebellion has also produced pics "Evil Elvis" and "King of the Castle."
