This winter, take a trip to Mega-City One.Dredd, the 2012 adaptation of the classic British comic book character, is riding to a new streaming home.Dreddwill stream onMaxstarting on August 01, 2025.
Judge Dredd was created by writerJohn Wagnerand artistCarlos Ezquerrain the British anthology comic2000 ADin 1977; the character is an icon of the UK comics scene, and is still published to this day. He was first adapted for the screen in 1995, whenSylvester Stalloneplayed Judge Dredd in an eponymous blockbuster; it was a financial fiasco and a critical disaster. Fans of the comic also excoriated it for removing Dredd’s helmet for large portions of the film; through fifty years of comics, Dredd’s helmetless face has never been clearly shown. Dredd was a more faithful adaptation; it was helmed byPete Travis(Vantage Point), from a script byAlex Garland. Garland was then known for his screenplays for28 Days LaterandNever Let Me Go; two years later, he would make his own directorial debut withEx Machina.
What Is ‘Dredd’ About?
Dreddtakes place in a post-apocalyptic future where New York City has expanded into the sprawling, crime-ridden Mega-City One, and heavily armed Judges serve as judges, juries, and executioners.Karl Urbanplays Judge Dredd, a veteran Judge who’s been assigned to partner with psychic rookie Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby). On their first day together, they end up trapped in a 200-story slum tower controlled by the ruthless drug lord Madeline “Ma-Ma” Madrigal (Lena Headey) and her gang (which includesWood HarrisandDomhnall Gleason). They’ll have to fight through an army of Ma-Ma’s deadliest henchmen to reach her — and when hope seems to arrive in the form of a squad of Judges, Dredd and Anderson soon learn that corruption in Mega-City One extends to its highest levels…
Despite excellent reviews (the film currently holds an 80% fresh rating onRotten Tomatoes),Dreddwas a disappointment at the box office, grossing $41.5 million USD on a $45 million budget. However, both fans and filmmakers have clamored for a sequel; in a2021 interviewwith Collider’sPerri Nemiroff, Thirlby said “…I was always the number one advocate of getting a sequel forDredd. I love that movie and I love that character. If there is still talk of there being a sequel 10 years later, I am all for it.”
Dreddwill beavailable to stream on Max on August 27, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Based on the comic character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, Dredd is a sci-fi action movie that stars Karl Urban as Judge Dredd, a law enforcement officer who can commute sentences as quickly as he issues them. Set in a dystopian New York-like city called Mega-City One, Dredd is tasked with hunting down a drug lord who controls a massive 200-story apartment complex named Ma-Ma, pushing a new addictive drug called “Slo-Mo” that has become widely used in the slums.
