JUDGE DREDD GOES INTO PRODUCTION FALL 2010

[Cyber-Matt]

JUDGE DREDD GOES INTO PRODUCTION FALL 2010
RELIANCE BIG PICTURES TO FINANCE

Reliance BIG Pictures, together with IM Global, the international sales company that Reliance acquired only last week, will finance DNA's 3D production of JUDGE DREDD, a $45 million film adaptation of the iconic 2000 AD comic-book character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.

Filming will take place over the fourth quarter of 2010 in Johannesburg.

JUDGE DREDD is being made by the writer/producer partnership behind The Beach, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Sunshine, and Never Let Me Go. Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich will produce a script written by Garland.

Pete Travis, director of Omagh, Vantage Point, and Endgame will direct.  Wagner will be a creative consultant on the film.

DNA has engaged Michael Murphy (District 9) as South African co-producer.

Jason Kingsley and Chris Kingsley, owners of Rebellion/2000 AD, will co-produce.

Said John Wagner: 'Alex Garland's script is faithful to the original concept that made Judge Dredd a favourite bad-ass hero.  It's a high-octane slay ride through the dark underbelly of the vast future city. A fan pleaser. With their track record, I have every faith in Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich.'

Said Alex Garland: 'I grew up reading Judge Dredd. The incredible writers and artists of 2000 AD were formative influences on me. Andrew, Allon and I have developed this adaptation of Judge Dredd with an emphasis on adrenaline and realism, but with all the scale and spectacle of Mega-City One. We think Pete's propulsive, edgy style is a perfect match for the project.'

The deal was negotiated on behalf of Reliance by IM Global CEO Stuart Ford assisted by attorneys Strook and Strook with DNA principals Macdonald and Reich, DNA head of business affairs Jo Smith, and Miles Ketley of Wiggin & Co. Ford's IM Global will handle international sales on the project.


About Reliance Big Entertainment:
Reliance BIG Entertainment Ltd. (RBEL) is the flagship media and entertainment arm of India's Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, with a significant presence in film entertainment (film production, distribution, and exhibition), broadcasting and new media ventures.

RBEL's motion picture brand, Reliance BIG Pictures (www.reliancebigpictures.com) has built an impressive film production slate in Hindi, English & other Indian languages, which it markets and distributes worldwide. Following Reliance BIG Pictures' association with IM Global, the company now benefits from an international sales team with an excellent reputation and global presence dedicated to selling its Bollywood and regional language slate.

In Hollywood, Reliance BIG Pictures has partnered with Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider on the formation of DreamWorks Studios and has development deals with Nicolas Cage's Saturn Films, Jim Carrey's JC 23 Entertainment, George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions, Chris Columbus' 1492 Pictures, Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions, Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, Jay Roach's Everyman Pictures, Brett Ratner's Rat Entertainment, Julia Roberts' Red Om Films and Brian Gazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment.

RBEL's group company, Reliance MediaWorks Limited (www.reliancemediaworks.com), is India's fastest growing film and entertainment services company and a member of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group.  It operates BIG Cinemas, India's largest cinema chain with over 525 screens spread across India, US, Malaysia, Nepal and Netherlands. Reliance MediaWorks has a dominant and comprehensive presence in Film Services: Motion Picture Processing and DI; Visual Effects; Film Restoration and Image Enhancement; Animation; 2D to 3D Conversion; Digital Mastering: Studios and Equipment rentals with presence across at US, UK, Japan and India. Reliance MediaWorks' television venture, BIG Synergy, is among the top players in the television programming industry.

The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (www.relianceada.com) is amongst India's top three business houses and has interests in telecommunications, energy, financial services, infrastructure and media and entertainment. 


About IM Global:
IM Global was founded in March 2007 by former Miramax International head Stuart Ford. The company quickly established itself as one of the leading sales agents in the international community handling a wide variety of mainstream commercial, arthouse and genre fare.

The company is one of the most prolific players in the international arena, and its slate currently has in post production Oren Peli's Area 51, Will Ferrell starrer Everything Must Go, The Astral from SAW director James Wan, The Company Men with Ben Affleck and Tommy Lee Jones, and John Cusack thriller The Factory. In active pre-production are Halle Berry starrer Dark Tide, Kevin Costner starring and directing vehicle A Little War Of Our Own, Protection starring Dwayne Johnson, and Madonna's directorial debut W.E.  In May of 2010 it was announced that Reliance Big Pictures had acquired a majority interest in the company.

[davethomson]

Awesome! That is all that needs to be said.

[Snook]

Fantastic! Congrats to all involved for their hard work so far!

...will finance DNA's 3D production of JUDGE DREDD...

This seems to imply to me that it will be filmed in 3D, rather than a 2D to 3D post production conversion. If this is so, then awesome sauce!

[James Stacey]

ARSOM!

[dweezil2]

All the best for this new production.
Seriously looking forward to this!
Roll on the release date!

[uncle fester]

Ok, now I'm excited!

[Mike Gloady]

I'll put aside my hurumphing at 3D for one time only.

HURRAY.

There, did you enjoy it?  Normal service will be resumed immediately.

[Kev Levell]

This sounds very cool. Looking forward to seeing and hearing all the reveals as they happen!

[Colin YNWA]

Ok so with this much actually stated and sorted is this the kinda time when its pretty surprising if it falls over? Is it time if not to count our chickens to at least have a nosey to get a rough estimate?

[radiator]

Amazing, amazing, amazing.

Well done to everyone involved so far - I wish you all the luck in the world!


Of course I'll only 100% believe this is actually going to happen when we see the first production photos....

Shall we retire the old thread now?

[CraveNoir]

So you're saying it's been "green lit"? Or should that be red and green lit? badum-tish!* Geddit?

*yes, I know it's usually red and blue, and that's also not the 3D technique used now, but I've been waiting two days to do that gag. :-P

[Kowalsky (formerly JudgeGumpty)]

Fantastic News!

To see this rubber stamped now has made a lot of Fans very happy indeed especially seeing as those who actually know, create and were brought up with Dredd are behind it.


All the very best with this!

[CrazyFoxMachine]

I HOPE. In response to Radiator's thoughts about characterization - that Dredd is like, a minor character in the film. LIKE JESUS IN BEN-HUR.

I know that's just echoing (maybe) Mark Millar's treatment for a Superman film but I wouldn't mind if Dredd played second fiddle. He'd have more impact that way. Let the city and the perps do the characterisation for ye.

[Taryn Tailz]

In a word, Fan-smegging-tastic. 

[IAMTHESYSTEM]

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