Karl Urban Addresses Return as his Best Comic Book Character (& It’s Not The Boys)

by

Karl Urban is eager to revisit a comic book role, and it’s not related to his popular show, The Boys. While he’s appeared in many comic book adaptations – including Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok, Red, and Priest – he’s particularly excited about returning to a film based on a 2000 AD comic. He’s well-known for playing Billy Butcher in The Boys, but this new project would be a different comic universe altogether.

Karl Urban recently told The Playlist he’d jump at the chance to return as Judge Dredd in a sequel. He really enjoyed playing the character, based on the popular 2000 AD comic book series, and had a great time making the original movie. Even if he isn’t involved, Urban says he’d be happy as long as more Dredd stories are told.

Karl Urban Not Likely to Return to Dredd Franchise

Karl Urban played Judge Dredd in the 2012 film, which was a second attempt to bring the popular comic book character to the big screen. Sylvester Stallone previously starred as Judge Dredd in a 1990s movie, but it wasn’t well-received by critics or fans. Urban’s version was much better, particularly for comic book enthusiasts. However, some felt the movie’s plot was too close to the acclaimed action film The Raid, leading to frequent comparisons.

In the movie Dredd, Karl Urban stars as Judge Dredd, the top law enforcer in the crime-filled Mega-City One. He’s tasked with taking down a powerful mafia boss (played by Laura Headey) who’s holed up in a skyscraper. Dredd and his fellow judges must fight their way through the building to reach her in this gritty, R-rated action film, which currently holds an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Okay, so I’m really excited about a new Dredd movie being in the works, but I’m also a little worried. Taika Waititi is directing, which is awesome, but if Karl Urban doesn’t come back as Dredd, it feels like they might be going in a totally different direction. Waititi’s style is so different from the first movie, and honestly, it sounds like they might be rethinking the whole character, potentially rebooting the franchise. It’s a bit nerve-wracking as a fan!

Even if Karl Urban doesn’t reprise his role as Dredd, he still has several comic book projects on the way. The final season of The Boys will premiere in April 2026, concluding his time as Billy Butcher in that series. It’s uncertain if he’ll appear in future Marvel Cinematic Universe or James Gunn’s DC Universe films, but Urban clearly enjoys working on comic book adaptations, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in more of them.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/list/7-best-comic-book-shows-of-the-streaming-era-ranked/embed/#

Read More

2026-03-01 17:10