Gaze Into the First ‘Dredd’ Movie Trailer [Video]

At last, Lionsgate has released the first theatrical trailer for Dredd, the new film based on the beloved and enduringly popular Judge Dredd character created by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra and Pat Mills for 2000 AD. Directed by Pete Travis from a script by Alex Garland (Sunshine, 28 Days Later) and starring Star Trek's Karl Urban and Game of Thrones' Lena Headey, the film finds the titular lawman on a characteristically ultra-violent mission to rid Mega-City One of "slo-mo," a nasty narcotic that makes people experience life in lovely slow motion photography.

Premiering in September, Dredd is the first live-action Judge Dredd film since the 1995 effort starring Sylvester Stallone. That American film was very poorly reviewed and is remembered as something of a flop (although it earned over $113 million worldwide). Produced by DNA Films, IM Global and Reliance Entertainment (and endorsed by John Wagner himself), Dredd is meant to be truer to the satirical, British sensibilities of the source material. Notably, the plot of this film -- Judges Dredd and Anderson find themselves in an impossibly massive building facing an endless army of criminals in a war over some cool science fiction drugs -- would seem to be just the sort of crazy Judge Dredd adventure you'd expect to find in an issue of 2000 AD, as opposed to the more overwrought origin stories comic book films often favor.

Here's the official synopsis from Lionsgate:

The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One- a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called "Judges" who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge -- a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of "Slo-Mo" experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.

During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture- a 200 story vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her ruthless clan. When they capture one of the clan's inner circle, Ma-Ma overtakes the compound's control center and wages a dirty, vicious war against the Judges that proves she will stop at nothing to protect her empire. With the body count climbing and no way out, Dredd and Anderson must confront the odds and engage in the relentless battle for their survival.