The comic-book sequel to the cult movie DREDD reaches its epic final story with the clash that fans have been waiting for – Judge Dredd versus Judge Death!
Mega-City One, the cusp of the 22nd century. Eight hundred million people are living in the ruin of the old world, a planet devastated by atomic war. Only one thing fighting for order in a metropolis teetering on the brink of chaos – the men and women of the Hall of Justice. One such lawman is Judge Joe Dredd, who is about to be confronted with his strangest and most challenging case yet.
Scripted by Arthur Wyatt and Alex De Campi, illustrated by Henry Flint and Paul Davidson, with letters by Annie Parkhouse, Dredd: Final Judgement brings the comic book tie-ins to Alex Garland’s DREDD movie to a close with the story of what happened to the ‘clan techie’ who escaped from Peach Trees and a finale that will shatter the lawman’s world!
Rebellion, one of Europe’s leading media companies, has bought a $100m, 220,000 sq ft facility to convert into a film studio near to its Oxford headquarters. This ambitious expansion by the independent company, which is already one of the UK’s biggest producers of video games, comic books, books, film and TV, is set to create up to 500 new jobs across Britain’s film and television industry in the coming years.
Feature film production spend in the UK reached a record high of 1.9bn in 2017, with film-related industries contributing 13.2bn to the UK economy, according to research from Lambert Smith Hampton. However, the current studio infrastructure is struggling to keep up with the demand for new content from big media companies and projections show that, at the current rate of growth, the UK is in urgent need of 1.9m sq ft of additional studio space.
The new studio, located on the site of an old printing press, is just outside of the city of Oxford – a city steeped in cultural history and which has already served as the backdrop to Hollywood blockbusters, including the Harry Potter franchise. With multiple sound stages, the largest reaching 25,000 sq ft in size, the new facilities can accommodate productions from TV drama to large scale Hollywood productions.
The purchase marks the opening of Rebellion’s second film studio and will operate alongside its original 3-stage studio, home to Europe’s largest performance capture stage and Rebellion’s world-renowned motion-capture company Audiomotion.
The new space will house Rebellion’s forthcoming productions of the Judge Dredd TV sci-fi drama Mega-City One and the future-war feature Rogue Trooper, set to be directed by Duncan Jones, who also directed Moon and Source Code. The scale of the new site means Rebellion will also make sound stage and full production/post-production office space available to rent to the UK’s growing production sector. This will help increase the levels of inward investment into UK feature film production, which registered a 162% increase in 2017.
Rebellion is now the UK’s leading independent games developer and publisher and a prime mover of the resurrection of the UK comic book industry. As well as being one of Europe’s top independent game developers and publishers, with best selling franchises such as Sniper Elite and Zombie Army, it is a major publisher of books and comic books, as well as the custodian of the world’s largest catalogue of English language comic book IP, thanks to the acquisition of the comics and fiction assets of the British publishing titan, formerly known as IPC.
Through its Audiomotion subsidiary, Rebellion has been closely involved in the production of feature films, TV and adverts for over 15 years, contributing to US and UK tent-pole productions as diverse as World War Z, A Monster Calls, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, Maleficent, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Iron Man 2, and The Watchmen.
Company founders and owners, CEO Jason Kingsley and CTO Chris Kingsley were producers on the 2012 feature film Dredd and announced the creation of Rebellion Productions in 2017, to develop and produce film and TV based on its comics and games IP.
Jason Kingsley said: “This studio purchase is incredibly exciting, not just for Rebellion but for the global film and television industry that is booming but in desperate need of further infrastructure to cope with the demands for new and engaging content.
“We know first-hand the creativity and talent here in the UK and this new studio will bring in projects from all over the world, offering opportunity and income to many people in the industry, as well as local companies and services. It also means there will be demand for more UK production and we can export more of our work globally.”
Chris Kingsley said: “The levels of growth in television content for streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon, have been astronomical in recent years. The demand for ongoing original content is bigger than ever and we’re seeing more big players wanting to get in on the action. This is very exciting for the domestic and global film industries but it’s also meant that our infrastructure is under increasing pressure.
“The new studios will help relieve some of that pressure whilst also adding to the growing figures of people employed in the UK film and TV industry, which has increased by 20% in the last five years. Our creative industries are appealing to other markets for our talent and generous tax reliefs – and we must ensure we have the studio space and infrastructure to keep furthering this ongoing growth.”
Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, said: “I’m delighted to see one of the UK’s leading independent video game developers branching further into film and TV with this ambitious studio investment in Oxfordshire.
“This is yet another vote of confidence in our world-leading creative industries and the government is committed to stimulating creativity, broadening opportunities and securing even more growth for this booming sector.”
Stuart Fenegan, producer on Moon, Source Code, Warcraft: The Beginning, Mute, and the forthcoming Rogue Trooper said: “World class UK crews and Tax Credit mean studio availability has been scarce in recent years. Jason, Chris and the Rebellion team establishing another major UK studio is huge. Thrilled for them and at the prospect of being able to shoot Rogue Trooper on truly home turf.”
HSBC has handled the finance for the purchase and Roger Mould, HSBC UK Relationship Director in Thames Valley, said: “We’re delighted to support Rebellion with its exciting plans for expansion into the film and television industry. The substantial new development in Didcot will dramatically increase the studio space available for the burgeoning film and TV production sector and is ideally located with easy access from London. With its ambitious growth plans, we look forward to seeing what’s next for Rebellion in the future.”
Whether you’re a massive fan or you’ve never encountered Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons’ blue-skinned genetic infantryman before, you can journey to the battle-scarred and poisoned plains of Nu Earth and discover more about one of 2000 AD‘s most popular characters with a FREE primer comic – available to download now!
Featuring the original appearance of the Rogue Trooper by Finley-Day and Gibbons in 2000 AD Prog 228 from September 1981, the primer also features three newer tales written by Guy Adams with art by Darren Douglas and Lee Carter.
Acclaimed filmmaker Duncan Jones is to bring Rogue Trooper, a character from the legendary award-winning British comic book 2000 AD, to the big screen.
It will see the critically-lauded director of Moon, Source Code, Warcraft and Mute write and direct the as-yet-unnamed picture.
Jones confirmed the new joint venture between Liberty Films and Rebellion, the Oxford-based games publishers and owners of 2000 AD, on his Twitter account today.
“For years now, I have felt a sting as Marvel and DC have poured out their entire comic roster into film. Wonderful for their fans, but every new release I silently scream “Where’s all the 2000 AD?!” I’m so excited to finally be able to right that wrong and bring Finley-Day and Gibbons’ Rogue Trooper, a seminal British spun war yarn, to the big screen!” said Jones.
Jason Kingsley, CEO and Creative Director of Rebellion, said: “Rogue Trooper has always been one of my favourite old school thrills from 2000 AD. I’m very happy to be working closely with Duncan and Stuart on this project and look forward to seeing the results on the silver screen.”
Chris Kingsley, Co-founder and CTO of Rebellion, said: “The first time I met Duncan he had a Mohawk – I’m tickled pink to see he’s now brought it back with a full-on Nu blue. It shows his unique level of commitment and passion for Rogue Trooper, and that’s why we’re so excited to be working with him and his legions.”
The deal was negotiated by producer Stuart Fenegan and Rebellion’s Jason Kingsley. Fenegan will produce the film under his and Jones’ Liberty Films banner, Jason Kingsley and Chris Kingsley will Executive Produce.
Fenegan said: “Eat leaden death Nort scum!”
Rogue Trooper is one of the greatest characters to come out of 2000 AD, which also publishes characters such as Judge Dredd, Nemesis the Warlock, and Strontium Dog. Created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons, Rogue Trooper is a genetically-engineered soldier bred to fight on Nu-Earth, a hellish planet consumed by an endless war between the Norts and the Southers. The sole survivor of a massacre that claimed his fellow GIs, Rogue sets out on a mission to find the traitor who betrayed them – the personalities of three dead comrades plugged into his helmet, backpack, and rifle.
Jones is one of a generation of leading British film directors who have been inspired by the satirical, anti-establishment and hyper-violent comic strips in 2000 AD. First published in 1977, 2000 AD has been at the cutting edge of British culture for four decades and continues to publish ground-breaking science fiction, fantasy, and horror comics.
About LIBERTY FILMS
Liberty Films was founded in 2005 by producer Stuart Fenegan and director Duncan Jones. Established in the competitive London advertising industry, their successful creative partnership has resulted in four feature films to date: MUTE starring Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux, for Netflix, launched in February 2018; WARCRAFT, for Legendary Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment and Universal Pictures, grossed $430 million at the worldwide box office in 2016; the critically acclaimed SOURCE CODE, featuring Jake Gyllenhaal was released by Summit Entertainment in 2011; and MOON, Jones’ feature directorial debut, led by Sam Rockwell, won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer in 2009. Fenegan was also nominated with MOON for the BAFTA for Best British Film.
Liberty Films have several TV and film projects in development for Jones and other rising British directorial talent.
About Rebellion®
Founded in 1992, Rebellion is one of Europe’s leading independent game developers and publishers. Whether it’s the breathtaking intensity of Sniper Elite 4, the face-hugging terror of Aliens vs. Predator or the grindhouse frenzy of Zombie Army Trilogy, the Oxford-based studio is known for creating stand-out games that thrill players.
About 2000 AD
2000 AD is the legendary weekly British anthology comic – the home of Judge Dredd and a galaxy of original sci-fi, fantasy, and horror action stars. Producing innovative and provocative comics for 40 years, it has brought the industry some of its biggest talents, from Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and Mark Millar, to Jock, Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, and many more. Published in print and digital every Wednesday, 2000 AD is the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic and remains at the industry’s cutting edge. www.2000AD.com
