DREDD Director Pete Travis Fired From Editing Room!
Screenwriter/producer Alex Garland is now leading a studio exec editing bay team to try and salvage the film, with re-shoots likely.
Hate to say I told you so..... I don't usually have a vendetta against directors but Pete Travis made me endure the absolute worst theatrically released film of 2008, Vantage Point, that came across as a film by a rookie amateur and I did warn DNA Films (Danny Boyle's UK production company)/Lionsgate over his hiring for Dredd! Now comes word from 24 Frames that Travis has been fired from the editing room on the 3D reboot of the 2000AD character after constant battles over creative differences but the real story seems to be that the footage he shot this year was so appalling it's unusable. Screenwriter/producer Alex Garland is now leading an editing bay team as the creative voice of studio execs Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich trying to salvage something from the mess but it looks like heavy re-shoots are in order. It's unlikely Travis would be asked back for that, so it might be up to Garland to do them himself. The screenwriter of 28 Days Later, The Beach, Sunshine and Never Let Me Go has never directed a movie before but his work is said to be so extensive in the editing room he may end up with a co-directing credit anyway and he likely knows the movie so intimately now that he could be the best man for the job. Though re-shoots could bring with it a problem. The actor behind the mask Karl Urban is contracted for his major role in the Star Trek sequel beginning early next year where Paramount are unlikely to let him be available for this, so any re-shoots with him would have to take place before the end of the year. Unless of course they pulled a V for Vendetta and just put somebody else behind the costume... which wouldn't be wise. 
Sources say Travis is keeping up with progress via the Internet so they at least bothering to email him it seems, though who knows exactly who is keeping him up to speed. It may be his one friend left on the production team giving him a courtesy update now and then, it certainly doesn't sound like they are asking for his advice. As for the film itself it was made with the intention of returning to the grittier, edgier roots over the ludicrous, mid 90s Sylvester Stallone vehicle. Think John Carpenters Escape From New York (especially as theres only a $45 million budget for this tentpole) or as we are told from a script review as Die Hard taking place within the world of Blade Runner. The official synopsis read like this; DREDD takes us to the wild streets of Mega City One, the lone oasis of quasi-civilization on Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot if necessary. The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and the frenetic vision of director Pete Travis bring DREDD to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film that returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerras revered comic strip.Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey co-star. Of course it's never at all a good thing when a director is locked out of the editing room and rarely does a film survive such a battering. However the producers on this have nearly a year to solve their problems, Dredd isn't due out until September 21st, 2012 - so if re-shoots are needed they should easily be able to get them done in time to save the picture. It's not ideal, but we are in a way better position than if we were in say May or June and Dredd was due in September. Just Mr. Garland if you do end up with editing the movie until now and the end of post-production... just remember that endings are important!