There are fan films that are fun and campy, then there are fan films like Judge Minty that really go that extra mile. You can feel the love these guys have for the characters come right out of the screen and punch you in the gut. We all know that a sequel to Karl Urban‘s Dredd is a “Hail Mary Pass” at best these days, but we can take solace checking out this wonderful production by director Steven Sterlacchini.

The props in this short are incredible. That itch to get a Judge Dredd costume build started the minute I laid eyes on those golden eagle shoulders. Take a look and join me after to discuss.

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Each and every week we scour the Internet for nothing but the best in nerdy art. We leave no digital stone unturned, we poke and prod every nook and cranny of the Interwebz. Why? Because we love you, and we love to bring you weekly feed of nerd art.

On with the dump!

Above: Taking a cue from Bioshock Infinite, this Marioshock Infinite by Creative Outpouring features Princess Peach and Mario in the lead with a nice nod to the Nintendo power ups of old. [Gamefreaks]

Hit the jump for Mad Max, the Walking Dead and more.
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As a long time Dredd fan I was perplexed that the latest Dredd movie from director Pete Travis didn’t do very well at the box office. I thought it was a damn fine film; gritty, violent, and stylish. The disappointing box office ($35 million worldwide before DVD sales on a $50 million dollar budget) Dredd pulled in quickly set fans wondering if we’d ever see Karl Urban‘s chin under that iconic Judge Dredd helmet ever again.

One of the Dredd producers Adi Shankar recently went on Reddit to do an AMA (Ask-Me-Anything). When asked about the possibility of a sequel he responded:

“Probably not. But I am working on a Dredd short in the vein of #DirtyLaundry …you’re actually the first person to know about this…”

As of this moment this is just a promise to fans. No story or script, no actors or director signed on. Hopefully Shankar will follow through and get the short off the ground. The short film he mentions is a Punisher short called Dirty Laundry, starring Thomas Jane and directed by Phil Joanou. I consider it more of a love letter to Punisher fans than your run of the mill short film. You can check it out below to get the feel of what Shankar wants to do.

Via: Cinemablend

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Tragic news from Mega City One today as it seems that despite the faintest hope of fans there will be no Dredd 3-D sequel coming soon to a theater near you.

The news comes from Adi Shankar, producer of Dredd (and The Grey and Killing Them Softly) who did a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit Wednesday. Shankar was obviously pelted with fan questions about whether or not there will be a sequel to Dredd, and while he didn’t rule it out complete, the possibility seems unlikely at best. But after being pressed later in the chat, Shankar offered an emphatic, “[n]ot going to happen =(“.

But not all hope is lost. Shankar last summer produced the sort-of Punisher sequel Dirty Laundry, a short film where Thomas Jane reprised the role of Marvel Comics vigilante in the skull shirt. Shankar mentioned that there’s chance now for a similar Judge Dredd project. He didn’t go into details, no word on whether the short will be a sequel or if actor Karl Urban will be a part of it playing Dredd, but Shankar did express interest in using Kickstarter.

What do you think, Bastards? Any Dredd better than no Dredd, or are you crushed with paralyzing disappointment about there being no Dredd 3-D 2?

Source: Comic Book Movie

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It’s been a nagging question since Dredd 3-D came out in September and sadly tanked at the box office, can there be any room for a sequel? Well, everything that doesn’t make a profit in cinemas has a second chance at life on home video, and to that end, things seem to be lining up well for the Pete Travis‘ adaptation of Britain’s favorite post-apocalyptic lawman.

Lionsgate is reporting that in its first week of release on DVD and Blu-ray, Dredd has sold 650,000 units, just over half of those on Blu-ray. In addition, Dredd was also the number one digital download for the week. Both good signs for the long-term popularity of the film, and the potential for a sequel.

But will it work? Possibly, Kick-Ass hardly blew up the box office and we’re getting a sequel this summer in prime box office real estate, all thanks to the DVD sale numbers in 2010. And perhaps the most famous example, the production and release of Joss Whedon’s Serenity, which came about purely because of DVD sales of the Firefly series box set.

So if you want a Dredd sequel, do your part, buy a DVD!

Source: Blastr

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While the flux-capacitor hasn’t been perfected, and we can’t help you fix any past holiday humbuggery, maybe we can help you get this holiday season off to a good start.

For the next 12 days (Dec 1st-12th), the staff of Nerd Bastards will be listing a few of their favorite nerdy things. Gadgets, doohickeys, thingamabobs and more – all sorts of  items that have been Nerd tested and Bastard approved.  Basically,  stuff you want, things you need, and everything you can’t have.

We hope you’ll  find some unique and nerdtastic gifts among our selections, and that they make their way under your tree, Menorah or Kwanzaa bush.

Hit the jump for Mark Poynter’s list of Nerdful things. Check back tomorrow for Nick Bungay‘s list. To see archive of this feature, click HERE.

1. Captain America Statue Lamp by Westland Giftware

Luke started off with the replica Captain America shield I wanted s0 I looked around and found this little gem. That would look so good on my desk, providing much needed light and inspiration. There’s the good Captain, the Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, the *#%-damned Batman, and the Man of Steel. They are priced from $54.99 to $59.99 and would make any fan boy light up (Get it . . . I’m punny.) with joy.

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Two weeks to go until the September 21st premiere of Dredd 3D and the powers that be are cranking up the marketing machine to put Dredd right in your face with two new television clips aimed at attracting your attention.

This NerdBastard has been a long time fan of Judge Dredd and I’m very anxious to see Karl Urban‘s take on the character. Whoops, almost forgot to include the obligatory synopsis and movie plot:

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.

Let your fellow NerdBastards know your thoughts on the two clips in the comments section below.

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With the U.K. release of Dredd a mere week away (Sep. 7th) and the U.S. 3 weeks (Sep. 21st) the Lionsgate marketing machine is in full swing. We rounded up a new TV spot and a featurette with commentary from Karl Urban and Pete Travis. You can also listen to the entire Dredd soundtrack. What a Dredd-full day! OK, yeah, the joke was pretty dreadful.

First up, is a short clip featuring Karl Urban as Judge Dredd reminding everyone he is the law. It’s not as profound as Sylvester Stallone’s comically slurred “I AM THE LAW” from his 1995 adaption of Dredd, but it serves the character well enough. [Via GeekTyrant]

Next up, is an exclusive Dredd featurette focusing on the character of Judge Dredd. Judge, Jury, Executioner, all that stuff. [CMB]

Oh, and here’s an interview with Karl Urban HeyUGuys!

Lastly, a week ago soundtrack samples were released for the Dredd 3D soundtrack from Limitless composer Paul Leonard-Morgan. But now thanks to the folks over at Digital Spy, you can listen to the full soundtrack for the film HERE.

Well, alright then. That’s it for Dredd stuff today. I for one, am fairly excited about this flick. I love the gritty visual style. And, it looks ultra violent. I think this is the Dredd comic fans deserve.

Here’s the films Synopsis:

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.

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The reboot/adaptation of the long-running Judge Dredd is fast approaching its release date.  It’s three more weeks to wait for Dredd here in the states and only a week if you happen to be in the UK (how come those bastards get everything early!?).  As is part of the game, the top crew are doing their usual marketing rounds to promote the film.  Alex Garland took this opportunity to jump into the 2000AD Online forum and let fans bombard him with their questions and concerns.

Being that he’s a big fan of the source material, Garland had quite a bit to say about the upcoming feature and many other subjects.  For the full (fairly long) interview you can check out 2000adonline.com.  For the Dredd-centered information, just look below.

The following is composed of what I thought to be the relevant bits, mixed up a bit to keep them in some sort of categorical order.  Enjoy.

What Garland had to say about adapting Judge Dredd for the big screen:

Honestly, adapting Dredd as a character was not hard.  He is so well defined by the comics.  There was no research.  I wasn’t looking to reinvent him.  And when I got stuff wrong, Wagner was at hand to put it right.

As for the tone, I did the same thing I always do, since I first started writing.  Which is basically to approach genre as if it is real.  For me, Dredd is in a continuum with 28 Days Later, not least because they were both filmed by the same guy.

I tried not to leave anything out about Dredd’s character, except I suppose that I imagined him a younger Dredd, pre the Cursed Earth walk (though that’s a loose imagining, and doesn’t stand up to much cross examination).  In terms of the city and the world, I was very content to avoid the overt comedy and overt satire – because I’m crap at it.  I’m sure it can be done, but I’m definitely the wrong person for the job.  I’m more comfortable with dry comedy and implicit satire.

About the proliferation of violent content in the film and whether that was an issue:

…there was a rumour many months ago about the violence needing to be toned down.  That particular rumour was not true.  All the financiers and distributors had read the script, and knew exactly what they were getting into.

About first getting involved in the film:

I started working on Dredd because Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich at DNA were smart enough to realise they could get the rights.  They then asked if I wanted to be involved, and I made it clear that if I wasn’t involved we would never speak again.

And about being in involved in a sequel:

There are some variables which would rule me out immediately.

But if he DID manage to get onboard, what he’d like to do with the dark judges:

I think I’d try to make them really scary.  Not play them for laughs.  Just make them totally malevolent and lethal.  And use practical effects where possible, except for Fire, which would be an on-set nightmare.

If my film-trilogy daydream was to play out, I would completely rewrite my original script for the Dark Judges – because it was junk – and start again.  And I’d make them deeply fucking weird and spooky, and sort of philosophical.  And if everyone hates that idea, relax, because it’ll never happen.

How he would approach a second film:

My tonal approach to a sequel would be the same.  But I’d definitely want to open out the story much more, within Mega City One, but also into the Cursed Earth.  And I would want to continue to exploring the character of Dredd.

If there is a sequel, I’m imagining spending about half the movie in the Cursed Earth, and I would try to come up with some new faces as well as some old ones.

I quite like the idea of Satanus.  But much more mutated.

But by the way, just so it has been said, I actually think that maybe the best way forward for Dredd is television.  American TV has completely rewritten the rule book where filmed drama is concerned.  Game Of Thrones/The Wire/Breaking Bad… An equivalent version of Dredd would be fucking great.  Imagine the epics…

And finally, about characters he might like to throw into future movies:

If I was involved in a second movie, it would be about origins and subversion, and Chopper would feature.  In fact, I think Chopper would start and end the story.  Apart from him, my rough plan involves Fargo, Giant, Angel Gang, and a version of Satanus.  For a trilogy, add Cal and the dark judges.  And Anderson would be in all three.  But… just to be clear, this is hugely speculative and also unlikely, for any number of reasons.

Dredd will be coming to our Western theaters on September 21^st, and from the sound of what Garland has to say, might be worth taking a look at.

Thanks to bleedingcool for the info and 2000AD Online for getting Garland to spill his guts.

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One of the big hooks in the upcoming Dredd 3D is the drug Slow-Mo. The drug allows it’s user to slow down their perception of things around them. You can expect to see a lot of this effect through out the movie.

Below are two videos, one is a mock PSA against the use of Slo-Mo, just say no kids, and the other is the featurette which looks at the film effects used.

This NerdBastard is really looking forward to this movie, how about you?

Dredd, directed by Pete Travis opens in 3D and 2D theaters on September 21. Alex Garland (28 Days Later) wrote the script, which stars Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey.

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