On Friday, some potentially troublesome word broke through The LA Times that suggested that Dredd director Pete Travis was no longer involved in the film and that writer/producer Alex Garland had stepped in as his post-production replacement. Today, an official update has been issued from both Travis and Garland that reads as follows:
“During all stages of the filmmaking, ‘Dredd’ has been a collaboration between a number of dedicated creative parties. From the outset we decided on an unorthodox collaboration to make the film. This situation has been misinterpreted. To set the record straight, Pete was not fired and remains a central part of the collaboration, and Alex is not seeking a co-director credit. We are all extremely proud of the film we have made, and respectfully suggest that it is judged on viewing when its released next year.”
Set in a dystopian future, the adaptation of the British comic book anthology “2000 A.D.” (within which Judge Dredd is a recurring story) focuses on a police force given the power to act as judge, jury and executioner to whomsoever they perceive to be part of the criminal element.
The source material was previously adapted into a film in 1995 with Sylvester Stallone in the lead. This version features Karl Urban as Dredd with a supporting cast that includes Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey.
Dredd is still planned for release in 2D and 3D on September 21, 2012.
