Comic Writer Rob Williams Has Completed ‘Judge Dredd’ Pilot Script

The city of the future is moving ever closer.

As revealed by 2000 AD and Judge Dredd owners Rebellion at San Diego Comic-Con Saturday afternoon, preparation for the television series Judge Dredd: Mega-City One is progressing apace, with the news that the pilot script and plot for the show’s first two years have been completed — and a name familiar to Dredd fans is attached to both.

Rob Williams, who has written the character for 2000 AD for years — including working on such important stories as “Trifecta,” “Titan” and the “Enceladus” cycle — is the creative lead for the pilot for the show, which focuses on the authoritarian police force in the overcrowded giant city that encompasses the majority of the East Coast of the United States. He also worked with a group of writers on the plot for the show’s first couple of seasons. Despite the title, Dredd will not be the sole focus on the show, which will instead be an ensemble drama.

Judge Dredd: Mega-City One was announced in May 2017, created in partnership between IM Global Television — headed up by former Syfy executive Mark Stern, who developed Battlestar Galactica and Defiance for the network — and Rebellion Productions, a newly created division of the company that owns the Dredd property. Rebellion creative director and CEO Jason Kingsley will act as executive producer on the show, with Brian Jenkins as series producer.

“It’s been really exciting to be working with Rob on the pilot,” Jenkins said in a statement. “We have a really talented team here at Rebellion Productions and I’m really proud of them. Jason and I have been busy looking at locations and laying out season one as we gear up, to move forward into pre-production.”

Kingsley added, “I’ve read the pilot script by Rob and the team, and got that same thrill I did when I first discovered Judge Dredd. As we drive this project forward I’m always surprised by how much effort goes on behind-the-scenes to bring something like Mega-City One to the screen. I’m very pleased with how the whole project is coming together and looking forward to more exciting announcements in the coming months.”