Dredd (DNA Films/Lionsgate)

Currently filming with director Pete Travis (“Vantage Point”) and starring Karl Urban as Judge Dredd.  Other cast members include Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Jason Cope, Domhnall Gleeson, Langley Kirkwood, Francis Choulder, Kevon Kane, Joe Vaz, Warrick Grier, Scott Sparrow, Luke Tyler, Travis Snyders, Martin Kintu, and Rakie, Ayola.

With a production budget in the neighborhood of $45-$50 million, the producers are hoping this film spawns sequels instead crashing and burning at the box office like the first attempt at a Dredd flick.  1995’s “Judge Dredd” starred Sylvester Stallone, cost more than $85 million, and managed to earn $113.5 million worldwide (only $34.7 million coming domestically).  The movie was an unmitigated box office and critical disaster.  All plans for a franchise were quickly scrapped. 

This new version will hopefully avoid the mistakes made with the first one.  This one is expected to be released sometime in 2012.

Plot Synopsis (provided by ComicBookMovie.com)
In a future where Earth has become a radioactive wasteland, 98% of the Human Population is concentrated in the Mega-Cities, where the law is enforced by the Judges, a police force entitled to act as jury, judge and executioner. The best Judge there is is Dredd (Karl Urban), who operates in Mega-City 1.

One day, Dredd is assigned to train recruit Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), who had previously failed the Judge Academy, but received a second chance for being a mutant with heightned psychic abilities that might be useful. The duo is deployed to investigate a triple homicide in the block of Peach Trees, a violent area ruled by Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal (Lena Headey), a sadistic drug dealer who has put a new substance in the market: Slow-Mo, a drug that alters its user's brain's chemics, making it appear as if time is in slow-motion.

Dredd and Anderson discover about Slow-Mo and raid one of the dealing points, capturing one of Ma-Ma's men in the process. In order to prevent him from being taken to the Judges' headquarters, where he'll surely crack under interrogation, she has her skilled team of Hackers cut Peach Trees of the grid and activate the Nuclear Attack continency program, isolating Peach Trees inside a titanium dome. Ma-Ma then puts a bounty on Dredd's and Anderson's heads: Either they die, or the dome doesn't get lifted.

Completely stranded inside a hostile environment where everyone wants them death, Dredd and Anderson have to find a way to escape and put a stop to Ma-Ma's plans before she is able to expand her turf over the other blocks, effectively becoming Mega-City 1's number one drug dealer.

“Man of Steel” (WB)
Christopher Nolan will serve as producer, along with Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, and Deborah Snyder.  Nolan provided the story, along with screenwriter David S. Goyer.  Zack Snyder will helm the reboot that stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman.

Nolan and Snyder have assembled a formidable cast that includes Oscar-winners Russell Crowe (Jor-El) and Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent).  Oscar-nominees Am Adams (Lois Lane), Michael Shannon (General Zod), and Diane Lane (Martha Kent).  Other performers confirmed as being cast are Julia Ormond (Lara), Antje Traue (Faora), and Christopher Meloni (unknown at this time).

The movie is expected to hit theaters December of 2012.  WB is obviously hoping that the magic Nolan worked with Batman will carry over with Superman.