Dredd Q+A with Karl Urban

Dredd Q&A with Karl Urban

Judge Dredd is a comics icon. The original strip started off over 35 years ago and was created by icons Carlos Ezquerra and John Wagner.
Kiwi Karl Urban has now taken on the mantle of the famous character, Dredd in a brand new film hitting cinemas from October 4th.
Karl was generous enough with his time to answer the following questions about his current role, what inspired him to take it and how he feels to get the official nod from the lawman's creator, John Wagner.
Dredd 3D opens October 4th in New Zealand. And head back to this blog on September 21st for the Dredd 3D movie review..

The big question is – aside from the Stallone film – how much did you know about Dredd before taking the role?

My first introduction to Judge Dredd was as a teenager - a friend switched me on to the Quality Comics series which was being published in the early 90s. I really liked Dredd, stoic Lawman with a dry sense of humour. The comics provided a rich tapestry of morality tales set in a futuristic totalitarian society where the judges have stepped out of the court room and onto the streets.

What was it about taking on such an iconic British comics character that appealed to you?

I guess being a long term fan of Judge Dredd was a big factor in my decision to take the role, but also the fact that writer Alex Garland had delivered a really solid, action packed, character driven narrative.

As a long term Dredd fan, I felt pretty confident that the sum of the creative elements involved would ensure a real quality in its execution. Also, I was drawn to Dredd's brand of heroism.

Were you aware of the 30 plus year history of the character before you took it on? And if not, what kind of research did you do?

My research consisted of reading every Judge Dredd comic that I could lay my hands on. It was fun reconnecting with characters and stories that I had enjoyed as a teenager, but the real bonus was discovering  new material that was written after I had stopped buying the comic.

Stories like Tale of a Dead Man, through to Necropolis. Origins is a fantastic story about the birth of Dredd and his world. What I discovered was that a wonderful maturity had developed in the writing, the stories and characters attained a much greater depth.

Tell us a little more about this incarnation of the character – who is Dredd and what kind of man is he?

Dredd is the law personified. He's a walking judge, jury and executioner. His job is to protect the citizens of Mega City One and uphold the law. He's enigmatic, feared and respected, Dredd has no "superpowers", just an extraordinary skill set, a versatile gun and a cool bike. He is the type of man who walks towards a disaster when everyone else is running in the opposite direction. He is a laconic man of few words with a dry sense of humour.

What more can you tell us about the film's story?

Dredd is about a day in the life of Judge Dredd as he puts his rookie Anderson through her paces to see if she has got what it takes to become a full judge. The day takes a turn for the worse when Dredd and his rookie are trapped in a mega block by Ma-ma, leader of a brutal Mega City One gang. The assessment turns into a brutal fight for survival.

Fans of Dredd will be wanting to know if you are going to avoid the furore of the helmet issue – and keep it on at all times?

The helmet stays on the entire film - it wouldn’t be a true Dredd movie if I took it off!

What was the shoot like?

It was a tough shoot, even before the cameras started rolling, 13 weeks of intense gym work, a tough 2 week military style boot camp.

The uniform was basically a leather motorbike suit and body armour and we shot through the South African summer so at the end of a day, you'd have to peel the uniform off.

But, as uncomfortable as it could be, it was well worth it when we shot scenes like the bike chase. 
There are a few points in your career where you can’t believe that they're actually letting you do this. The Moscow car chase with Matt Damon in The Bourne Supremacy was one, and riding that bike in full Dredd mode through the streets of Cape Town was definitely another.

You’ve had the blessing of the character’s creator, how does that feel?

To have Mr Wagner’s blessing was a fantastic endorsement, and a testament to the hard work and attention to detail that everybody involved in bringing Dredd to the big screen. We all strived to achieve it.

Give us a secret from the filming on set – and tell us what you all got up to after filming finished on the day?

The virtue of a secret is that is that the contents of the secret remain secret!

After work finished, I'd hit my favourite restaurant, play poker with my driver and good friend through dinner, then head back to the apartment and look at the next days work. Pretty low key.

Rumour has it this may be the first of a series of Dredd movies – would you want to do more of them?
Sure, if this movie finds an audience at the box office, then I'd love the opportunity to continue the story. But, if Dredd is a stand alone film then I'm equally happy with that, it’s an instant cult classic.

How would you describe Dredd to the people who’ve never heard of it?

It’s the must see movie of 2012 - definitely a film that you need to take your friends to at least twice.

We’ll see you back on the screen in the next Star Trek film, what more can you tell us about that?

It’s going to be so epic, multi-coloured and awesome.