Taika Waititi to take on new Judge Dredd movie
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the writer-director will take the reins of the latest attempt to bring the comic book character to the screen with Drew Pearce set to take on the script.
Pearce's credits include Iron Man 3, Hobbs & Shaw and The Fall Guy. He has also written the script for a new take on The Thomas Crown Affair led by Michael B Jordan.
Sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that both Waititi and Pearce were childhood fans of the character. In a 2022 interview, Waititi name-checked Judge Dredd as an influence on his Marvel films.
Judge Dredd is a law enforcement officer working in a dystopian society who first appeared in British publication 2000 AD in the late 70s. In 1995, Sylvester Stallone played him in a film that underperformed at the box office and received negative reviews. The character was brought back in 2012 and played by Karl Urban in the Alex Garland-scripted Dredd which received stronger notices, but was also a commercial disappointment.
The new version is reportedly more faithful to the original comics and will lean into dark humour. The aim is to kick off a new universe that could expand to both the big and small screen.
New Zealand-born Waititi won the Oscar for best original screenplay for his second world war comedy Jojo Rabbit and has also directed two Thor sequels.
His last film, fact-based football comedy Next Goal Wins, was a critical and financial failure. His next is an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun starring Amy Adams and Jenna Ortega. Last year saw reports that he was looking to team up with Steven Spielberg for an adaptation of Percival Everett's Pulitzer prize-winning novel James.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Sacha Baron Cohen doesn't realise his midlife post-divorce body is repellent to most women
'From Borat to buff,' the caption reads on the cover of Men's Fitness, along with a topless shot of… wait, that can't be Sacha Baron Cohen, can it? My first thought was oily biltong. My second thought was one of those comedy cooking aprons featuring a male torso. My third thought was: ooh, hench, what do you bench? No, of course it wasn't. It was this: I get the 53-year-old actor and comedy writer is now officially divorced from his wife, Isla Fisher, 49, but I'm not sure the revenge body thing is really working. Back in the day (1994, to be precise), Diana, Princess of Wales, stole the show with a daring off-the-shoulder black dress to signal her couldn't-care-less-but-actually-care-a-lot insouciance. I can't see why a Celine Homme polo shirt and Tom Ford linens wouldn't have done the trick for Baron Cohen. He's a dad with two daughters and a son, and therefore absolutely entitled – some would say obliged – to rock a dad bod. What his Australian ex-wife makes of it all is anyone's guess. The couple met at a party in 2001 and were engaged in 2004. The Wedding Crashers actress converted to Judaism to marry Baron Cohen in 2010. Although they announced their separation in 2024, they said it had happened a year previously. Both have been at pains to keep their personal lives private. But now that the privately educated Cambridge graduate has joined the Hollywood elite, he happily admits he brought in a crack team for his ripped glow-up, which he describes as 'a midlife crisis'. Plus, he has been cast as Marvel's supervillain devil Mephisto, who makes evil pacts with mortals in order to acquire their souls, which concentrated his mind. 'Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, some use personal trainers. I did all three,' he told the magazine. 'This is not AI, I really am egotistical enough to do this.' Given he was put through his daily workouts by someone called @theangrytrainer, his dedication, appropriately enough, verged on the demonic. It's a far cry from his wannabe gangsta Ali G character back in the 1990s, which led to his film about his shockingly inappropriate Kazakh journalist, Borat, in 2006, and then his mockumentary about monstrous Austrian fashionista Brüno three years later. In 2012, he played Admiral General Aladeen in The Dictator, billed as 'the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed'. Now a bona fide A-lister, Baron Cohen has clearly fallen prey to the literal arms race dominating the big franchises, which has seen male actors (and their body doubles) push their physiques into superhero proportions. Having presumably forgotten that superheroes aren't real. These days, muscle mass equals star power. On screen, at any rate. In Men's Fitness, Baron Cohen has found the perfect body-conscious audience for his great reveal, but I'm not sure how many women will find his pumped-up pecs a thing of beauty. It's great for any midlifers to have a stimulating hobby, and there's something deeply attractive about a man pursuing a passion. But there's something troubling when that passion turns out to be sculpting himself in the image of a cartoon character.
Scotsman
6 hours ago
- Scotsman
Is the Fantastic Four movie out on Disney+? Release explained
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in cinemas - but can you watch it at home yet? 🦸♂️ Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Marvel's First Family are back on the big screen. Fantastic Four is the latest outing of the iconic heroes. But can you watch First Steps on streaming yet? A decade after their last cinematic outing the Fantastic Four are back on the big screen. Marvel's First Family are teaming up to take on a supersized threat this summer. Fans had long wondered when Mr Fantastic, The Thing, The Invisible Women and the Human Torch would join the MCU. Marvel regained the rights to the characters after the Disney and Fox merger - along with other big names like the X-Men. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Pedro Pascal leads the cast and is joined by stars from The Bear and Stranger Things in this latest adaptation. It is set to launch the latest phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - leading up to a double-bill of Avengers films. But do you have to go to the cinema to see it, or can you catch the action at home? Here's all you need to know: Is Fantastic Four: First Steps out on Disney Plus? The Fantastic Four: First Steps | MARVEL STUDIOS The latest Marvel movie - following Captain America 4 and The Thunderbolts - is out now in cinemas. Fantastic Four: First Steps has arrived on the big screen in the UK and around the world, but is it available on streaming? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The movie is currently exclusively available to watch in cinemas. It will eventually come to Disney Plus but you will likely have to wait quite a long time to watch it on streaming. When will Fantastic Four: First Steps be out on Disney Plus? During the Covid-19 pandemic, Disney initially dropped movies in cinemas and on streaming at the same time - at an extra price. Black Widow was one such film to experience this kind of release. The Hollywood giant then went back to exclusively releasing films in cinema, but was still relatively quick with the turn around from the big screen to streaming. Encanto, for example, released in cinema on November 24 2021 and arrived on Disney Plus a month later - December 24 - just in time for Christmas. But more recent films have stuck more firmly to the 90 day theatrical window. Captain America: Brave New World for example flew into cinemas on February 14 but didn't release on the platform until May 28 - more than three months later. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If Fantastic Four: First Steps was to follow the more recent trend, it is unlikely to arrive on Disney Plus until late October - and possibly even early November. So you may have to wait until autumn to catch it on streaming.
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Sacha Baron Cohen makes Ozempic admission after revealing major body transformation
Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen revealed the three changes in his life he made as he unveiled his dramatic body transformation ahead of playing a Marvel villain Actor Sacha Baron Cohen has revealed exactly what he did to transform his body ready to play a Marvel villain. The Borat star, 53, showed off his chiseled new appearance as he swapped his moustache for plenty of muscles. He looked totally different as he unveiled his ripped physique as the Ali G actor now sports rock hard abs and toned arms as he carried two 30KG weights in a shirtless photoshoot. Sacha, who split from Isla Fisher in 2023, stunned his fans with his new look with many wanting to know exactly what he did to achieve it. The Golden Globe winner told Men's Fitness UK that he asked Matthew McConaughey for celebrity trainer Alfonso Moretti's phone number. However, Sacha went on to share his photoshoot on his social media and added more details. He said: "Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, some use personal trainers. I did all three." In a follow up post, Sacha hit back at claims his body transformation wasn't real. "This is not AI," he insisted. "I really am egotistical enough to do this. Debuting my new character. Middle-aged man who replaced beer with protein shakes." It later emerged that Sacha was "only joking" about using Ozempic in his transformation, as his representatives said it was "all down to hard work". Although some people use Ozempic to aid weight loss, it is not licensed for this, and instead, is licensed for the treatment of diabetes. It should only be used by people with diabetes to aid their symptoms. Detailing his fitness journey, Sacha told the magazine: "I called Matthew [McConaughey] and asked for help. After asking who I was and how I'd gotten his number, he finally gave me Alfonso's contact." He then had a FaceTime call with personal trainer Alfonso, who made him strip down to his underwear during their chat. Alfonso and Sacha had a short time frame to transform his body due to filming schedules. Sacha was tasked with being 'consistent' by doing '100 push-ups a day'. He focused on short workouts and diets high in fibre and protein. The actor shared: "25-minute workouts that were sustainable. Even while filming, the workouts happened. In the past, I would've thought you needed hour-long sessions. But the short sessions made it so much easier to stay consistent - even with the demands of being on set." It certainly worked for Sacha, as within two weeks, the wardrobe team had to spend £3,600 to alter his costumes. His impressive transformation comes a month after Sacha andhis ex-wife, Isla, confirmed their divorce was finalised. The former couple announced: "Our divorce has now been finalised. We are proud of all we've achieved together and, continuing our great respect for each other, we remain friends and committed to co-parenting our wonderful children." The statement continued: "We ask for the media to continue to respect our children's privacy." They announced their divorce in April this year but only just revealed their intention of co-parenting in a private and humble way.
