How many times will Alex Garland have to trot out variations on his same stock answer concerning the fate of Dredd 2? The screenwriter, who penned the 2012 comic book adaptation, seems to be constantly fielding questions on the topic despite having responded many times via many, many outlets.
Seeing as the incredibly talented scribe has recently made the leap to directing with his absolutely stunning sci-fi masterpiece Ex Machina, that means he’s out and about chatting up the press.
During a roundtable interview at SXSW, he was asked once more on the sequel that just won’t die. While his opinion remains firm on the matter (Dredd 2 still isn’t happening), Garland does offer some money-saving tips for eager fans who are barking up the wrong tree:
There isn’t, as far as I can tell, going to be a Dredd sequel. The basic mechanics of film financing say that if you make a film that loses a ton of money, you’re not going to get a sequel. And that’s basically what happened.
And I understand and appreciate the support the film has had, and the campaigns that have existed for it, and it’s really genuinely gratifying — I love it in all respects except one, which is when I hear about people buying copies of the DVD in order to boost sales and to change the figures. And what I want to say to them is, “Don’t do that. Keep your money.” Because the people that are making the decisions are much colder and harder than that. And the graphs they’re looking at are not really going to be sufficiently dented by that.
So the support for the film is truly appreciated. But if there is going to be a sequel, it’s not going to be me and the team of people who worked on the previous film, it’s going to be another bunch of people. And good luck to them, and I hope it happens. I really do. I hope they do a better job than we did.
It’s a sad state of affairs when genuinely unique comic book adaptations that fall outside of Marvel and DC’s family-friendly remit are unable to sustain a franchise. Dredd 2 is an idea that stokes excitement from practically everyone who is asked about it (except for Garland and producer Avi Shankar, who are both probably sick of talking about it) because the first movie was so exceptional. We may see another if what Garland says is true, but it certainly won’t be the same without his involvement.