Carol Pinchefsky, Contributor for Forbes, argues ‘2000 AD’ Comic Book Is Snubbed in Latest ‘Dredd 3D’ Trailer:

In the most recent commercial for Dredd 3D, the upcoming Lionsgate film to be released in the United States on September 21, 2012, we get some style and substance, a taste of what we hopefully have ahead of us. But there was something important left out of this 30-second trailer. The title card reads, “Based on the legendary comic book”…but it doesn’t actually mention the comic book’s name.

That name, for the record, is 2000 AD.

Actually, no it isn’t. Judge Dredd is a comic strip within 2000 AD, which is an anthology comic. The shorthand in the commercials and trailers is effectively saying “this is a comic adaptation”. Make the argument Dredd is based on 2000 AD, and you’d be asking where Sláine, Strontium Dog, Nikolai Dante and all the other characters are.

To be fair, Pinchefsky is really trying to draw attention to 2000 AD, which is a good thing. The comic’s managed to survive since the 1970s and is in something of a golden age right now. (You can find out more at 2000adonline.com and there’s now also an iOS app, which fires a bunch of free back issues your way when you subscribe.) However, with Dredd I’d argue the film-makers have been utterly respectful to the comic, far more than almost any other adaptation I can think of—probably only Hellboy comes close. Original co-creator John Wagner was heavily involved and the script, look and cut was adjusted on his recommendation; the film contains numerous nods to things that have happened during Dredd’s history, often peppered about as graffiti and posters; names of the giant blocks in the city are often named after 2000 AD writers and artists; there’s a reference to fan film Judge Minty; and even some of the 2000 AD forum members get cameos in the film.

To top it all off, Alex Garland last night answered a ton of questions on the 2000 AD forum. Usually when this sort of thing happens, a screenwriter or director will answer a few things before vanishing into the night. As far as I can tell, Garland answered everything, in a candid, exhaustive manner. As a long-time fan of 2000 AD, I don’t feel the comic and its followers have been snubbed at all by Dredd—quite the opposite.