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The announcement of Taika Waititi directing the next Judge Dredd movie and possibly steering the franchise in a new direction instantly polarized the fandom. One side of the Venn diagram contains those who know that Dredd is basically a satirical mirror held up to state powers and bureaucratic cruelty, and welcome Waititi’s addition to the project. The other side, however, isn’t so enthusiastic. Not only did they spend thirteen years waiting for Dredd 2 with Karl Urban, they now have to watch as the man who made Thor: Love and Thunder plays with their favorite IP.

Unfortunately, it would seem that Karl Urban won’t be back wearing Dredd’s helmet, at least not in this project, so the question remains: if Waititi is in, but Urban isn’t, do we even want to watch the upcoming Judge Dredd movie? And why are some fans, while still in love with Urban’s version of the character, still excited about Taika Waititi’s take on Judge Dredd? Well, finding the answer to that question comes down to why you loved Dredd in the first place, and whether you prefer your dose of satirical fascism delivered by movies or comic books.  

Those in the former camp fell hard for the dystopian chaos of 2012’s Dredd, drawn to Karl Urban’s ruthless judgments, the sheer gun violence, and the promise to never soften the edges. They’re probably not thrilled about the chance he won’t return for the upcoming release. Urban wasn’t the first to wear the helmet (we don’t talk about the first), but he was easily the best. And it wasn’t just good casting. The Boys star delivered a performance so strong, he became the default Dredd for moviegoers who never cracked open a single issue of 2000 AD.

His portrayal was so exceptional and so monolithic that he became the benchmark all future Dredds will be measured against. Urban was so committed to the role that he basically transcended it, becoming to Dredd what Robert Downey Jr. is to the MCU’s Tony Stark/Iron Man. For the segment of the fandom that loved Urban’s version of the character, swapping him out for a different actor does feel like erasing the one cinematic version that finally got what 2000 AD was about.

However, if you are a fan of 2000 AD, Waititi’s arrival could be the best move the franchise ever made towards a more faithful adaptation. For the uninitiated, Judge Dredd comes from the pages of the 2000 AD comic book, which is a four-decades-deep institution that blends a grim dystopia with sketch comedy. Half of its stories are nothing but jokes; admittedly, they are deadly serious jokes, but jokes nonetheless. The world of 2000 AD is horrible and grotesque simply because the systems within that world are both horrible and grotesque.  

The fascism in that comic book is so overexaggerated that it’s borderline horrific and often delivered with a punchline that has a tendency to curdle in your throat a second too late. And delivering such punchlines is where Waititi really shines. While his work on Thor: Love and Thunder wasn’t something to write home about (to say the least), his work on Jojo Rabbit was nothing short of exceptional. Sadly, the internet remembers the former much more than the latter, which is the source of discomfort may fans feel over Waititi’s involvement in a Dredd project.

However, if we take a closer look at Jojo Rabbit (and you should if you haven’t already), we can see that Waititi is perfectly capable of making the satire cut and the comedy sting. Under his pen and direction, Jojo Rabbit managed to successfully satirize fascism without trivializing the massive trauma it caused. This approach is precisely what an adaptation of 2000 AD needs to be successful on the silver screen, and if we look beyond Thor: Love and Thunder, we’ll see that Waititi is perfectly capable of delivering what Dredd audiences want.

With that said, doubting Waititi’s talent isn’t the sole reason why fans are skeptical over his involvement. Rumors suggest that the upcoming Dredd movie might be a pilot for kick-starting a new franchise universe (because, why not?) across film and television. While 2000 AD certainly has enough depth for that to happen, building a cinematic universe comes with its own set of challenges. These often result in deviating from the source material in one way or another, which could end up alienating a good chunk of the fanbase and ruining the project.

The brilliance of 2012’s Dredd lies in its self-containment. It wasn’t a pilot for a broader project, but a bullet that hit the mark. Moving away from that recipe runs the risk of turning Dredd into a product and shoving the ideas it discusses under the rug. And we’ve already seen that Waititi is at his best when smuggling complicated ideas in mass-market packages (Jojo Rabbit), and at his worst when trying to distill an idea from what’s obviously nothing more than a product. The latter refers to Thor: Love and Thunder, and Disney’s focus on quantity over quality.

Given Taika Waititi’s talent for satire, if he and writer Drew Pierce really lean into the dark humor, the bureaucratic absurdity, and the sheer banality of authoritarianism, they could deliver a movie that doesn’t just look like 2000 AD, but also feels, breathes, and thinks like it. So, while it’s an indisputable truth that Urban’s Dredd was iconic, if Waititi plays his cards right, his Dredd could be much more than that; it could be ideological. 

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