Sylvester Stallone flop paved way for Dredd

Los Angeles - Sylvester Stallone's flop Judge Dredd movie made it possible for Dredd 3D, starring New Zealand actor Karl Urban in the titular role. to be made.

The Expendables actor played the comic book character in a widely-panned 1995 film and because it was so heavily criticised, studio chiefs and filmmakers avoided the licence to the franchise, until the team behind the latest reboot took it on.

Screenwriter and producer Alex Garland told Movies.com: "[That] made it possible for us to get the licence, because if it had been a smash hit, we couldn't have made our film.

"We were in post-production on Sunshine and in pre-production on 28 Weeks Later, and [producer] Andrew [Macdonald] said, 'I think we can get the rights to Dredd, because nobody wants them and nobody realises how good a licence it is. Do you want to do it?' And I immediately said, 'Yes.'"

Despite Alex's comments, Dredd grossed just $6m this weekend on a $50m budget, while Judge Dredd had a budget of $90m and still made a profit, taking in $113m globally.