Dredd (2012)

[Beaky Smoochies]

John and Alan are writers and justifiably asked to be paid to do their job.
They stuck to their principles.

I understand that, but the comics industry was not the movies industry, period.

[JOE SOAP]

Why should professional writers work for free?

[Frank]

As far as I'm aware, there are no rules governing the operation of Hollywood studios. If they want something badly enough, they'll pay through the nose for it- and they have absolutely no compunction concerning ripping off other peoples' ideas.

Wagner and Grant have a long history of watching others making money off the back of their work, and it's not as if they had any lofty artistic ambitions in writing a treatment for a Stallone action film- the only point in accepting that gig would be the paycheck.

[Beaky Smoochies]

As far as I'm aware, there are no rules governing the operation of Hollywood studios. If they want something badly enough, they'll pay through the nose for it

True, but that is usually when a bidding war breaks out over a particular script, not for a mere commissioned outline by two comic writers who had never written a film before, I'm not demeaning Wagner and Grant's talents and/or efforts, just pointing out how the movie industry tended to work...

Wagner and Grant have a long history of watching others making money off the back of their work, and it's not as if they had any lofty artistic ambitions in writing a treatment for a Stallone action film- the only point in accepting that gig would be the paycheck.

Or the knowledge that at least the script for a JD movie would be penned by people who actually knew and understood the source material...

[Frank]

Wagner and Grant have a long history of watching others making money off the back of their work, and it's not as if they had any lofty artistic ambitions in writing a treatment for a Stallone action film- the only point in accepting that gig would be the paycheck.

Or the knowledge that at least the script for a JD movie would be penned by people who actually knew and understood the source material...

My argument is that an action film starring Stallone in the mid-Nineties was never going to be anything other than a reductively crass star vehicle- look at his other films to date.

Since nothing Wagner and Grant could write was capable of bomb-proofing their baby from destructive effects of the star's ego and formulaic film making, the only point in penning the script for something like that would be the pay day.

[Beaky Smoochies]

My argument is that an action film starring Stallone in the mid-Nineties was never going to be anything other than a reductively crass star vehicle- look at his other films to date.  Since nothing Wagner and Grant could write was capable of bomb-proofing their baby from destructive effects of the star's ego and formulaic film making, the only point in penning the script for something like that would be the pay day.

And on that, I have absolutely no rebuttal, you are (unfortunately) completely correct, sad but true (in terms of what the film could/should have been, that is)...

[Hoagy]

It doesn't have to be one or the other. Perfectly plausible to have the 95 version for young, young children. And the more hip up to date version for the the elder generations. So far, so good?

[Misanthrope]

It doesn't have to be one or the other. Perfectly plausible to have the 95 version for young, blind, deaf children. And the more hip up to date version for the the elder generations. So far, so good?

Fixed that for you.

[Hoagy]

Hey!

" What's up with Dredd the funny fascist? He's about to be eaten by the massive, cannibal, psychotic bad man."

Kids love that.

[Danbo]

I think this film will do more than well in the rest of the world than the states. The US is stilla massive market but so now is Europe and Asia,Russia,Oz etc...and I think they have a better chanc of acepting this new Dredd over Sly more than the yanks.
And the lawmaster,my last reservation.....*holds hand up* my favouritest bit of the trailer,as a biker that is pure porn to me,unsure at first now i want to lick it exhaust pipes.

[Bubba Zebill]

I think this film will do more than well in the rest of the world than the states. The US is stilla massive market but so now is Europe and Asia,Russia,Oz etc...and I think they have a better chanc of acepting this new Dredd over Sly more than the yanks.
And the lawmaster,my last reservation.....*holds hand up* my favouritest bit of the trailer,as a biker that is pure porn to me,unsure at first now i want to lick it exhaust pipes.

I'm thinking of that list of prices that used to be on the cover...the various currencies of the world. DREDD has fans in all those places. And it'll do well in the US because of the comic-con crowd. Seems comics are now cool in a way they never used to be. Then theirs Karl Urban's many female fans. This film will do very very  well I think. I'm planning to see it twice on day one if possible.

[Bubba Zebill]

One of the commentators somewhere said (un-ironically, I think) that they should have cast Billy Bob Thornton for his chin. While my initial reaction was "????!!!" they actually kinda have a point: he has the strong chin and pouty lips of an early Ezquerra or McMahon Dredd.

Good actor...but boy would I hate Thornton as a choice. I firmly believe Urban is the best possible choice today. Terrific  actor, not a primadonna megastar...great at physical scenes, fights, weapons...he's lean, not a muscle-head. He is something of a chameleon.

But if Carlos Ezquerra were directing a Dredd I think we'd need a dubbed Danny Trejo.

[Bubba Zebill]

Oh...you know it dawned on me over dinner that this might be the point you were making. Nope. Didn't intend 2 trip wires by posting a shopped image, I'm new to the problems that troll twat has caused. Check the links I posted, you might know BT's wrk in animation etc.

I was only kidding.

[Bubba Zebill]

[spoiler]Stallone Dredd fee: $15 million.[/spoiler] I'm sure he regrets the mess he made of a great character.

His 30 pieces of silver.

[Bubba Zebill]

And people wonder why Alan Moore disassociates himself with films based on his books...2000AD should have done that with Stallone - although it would have made no difference, I guess.

If Judge Dredd had been a creator-owned property, Wagner would have nixed that project at the first draft screenplay stage, rather than having to wait until shooting started until he had the opportunity to tell Danny Cannon he was "shooting the wrong fucking script".

If Mills and Wagner's unsuccessful bid to buy out 2000ad from IPC had been successful, the man who created Dredd might have been able to exert the same influence over the film adapatations of his work as JK Rowling did over the Potter books.

Huh...hadn't thought about it that way or heard that story.