Garland began writing the script in 2006, although the development of a new Judge Dredd film adaptation, unrelated to the 1995 film Judge Dredd, was not announced until December 2008.
Garland comezou a escribir o guión do filme no 2006, aínda que o desenvolvemento desta nova adaptación de Judge Dredd, sen relación co filme homónimo de 1995, non se fixo público ata decembro do 2008.