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Dredd: Year 1
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22nd
April 04 |
To introduce
our new Fan Fiction section, we have a script from the incomparable "Sprout".
If any of the rest of you want to get your fan fiction up on the site - be it
text or a finished strip - just contact the site using the address at the foot
of the page. And if anyone fancies illustrating this - use the same address to
let us know.
Series title:
Judge Dredd: Year One
Episode 1: The First Day
Author: Sprout
Six pages
Page 1 –
five panels
1. Ext. Mega-City One, Academy of Law, early morning. We’re
looking up at this impressive Eagle-shaped building, lit up nice and red by the
dawn sun. It dwarfs the surrounding buildings, but in the background we can see
that there are many buildings a lot taller and more impressive, many of which
are still under construction.
Note: this tale is set in 2079, 20 years before we first see Dredd in prog 2,
so Mega-City One isn’t quite so built up. Also, senior judges featured in
this tale (specifically Morphy and Goodman) are twenty years younger. If possible,
I think it would be a nice touch to have the Judge uniforms similar to the way
they were in the early days.
CAPTION: THE ACADEMY OF LAW.
CAPTION: 2079 AD
CAPTION: “STEP FORWARD, CADET.”
2. Int. Academy,
large presentation room, richly decorated with various symbols of the Judges.
A small bunch of cadets are lined up to receive their full-eagle badges and Judge
helmets. Several senior Judges and Academy tutors are standing at ease (arms behind
their backs, feet apart) behind the podium. CHIEF JUDGE CLARENCE GOODMAN is at
the podium. He’s about sixty, thin white hair. He carries himself well.
One cadet is in front of the podium; DREDD, in uniform, from behind (we never
see his face).
CHIEF JUDGE: YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE HIGHEST MARKS EVER AWARDED
TO A ROOKIE JUDGE. IT IS MY HONOUR TO PRESENT YOU WITH THE FULL-EAGLE BADGE AND
HELMET OF A STREET JUDGE.
3. Close on the
helmet and badge being passed over. The badge clearly says “DREDD”.
(Note: Dredd’s first words here are the same as his first words in prog
2 – one to keep the trivia buffs happy!)
DREDD: THANKS, YOUR HONOUR.
4. Long shot, high
angle: Dredd from three-quarters profile, lowering the helmet onto his head –
part of his arm obscures his face. We see the other cadets standing to attention
behind him.
CHIEF JUDGE: GO FORTH, AND BRING LAW TO MEGA-CITY, JUDGE DREDD!
5. Reverse on
Dredd, BG, as he marches out of the room.
CHIEF JUDGE: STEP FORWARD, CADET GIBSON.
Page 2 – six panels
2. Ext: Academy of Law, steps. We see Dredd, coming down the last few steps, towards
a LAWMASTER, next to which stands a MECHANIC, who has a rag in his hand, and has
clearly been polishing the gleaming bike, and an older JUDGE – this is MORPHY.
MORPHY: JUDGE DREDD. TOP OF THE CLASS, I HEARD. CONGRATULATIONS!
MECHANIC: HERE’S YOUR BIKE. LOOK AFTER HER, AND SHE’LL
LOOK AFTER YOU.
3. Inset: Close
on Dredd. This is the first close-up we see of him. He’s young, looks about
twenty, but he still has that stern expression.
DREDD: HER?
4. Dredd mounts
the lawmaster. Morphy is attempting to talk to him, but Dredd isn’t even
looking his way.
MORPHY: TALK WITH ME A WHILE. I WANT TO GIVE YOU A FEW POINTERS
ABOUT –
DREDD: LATER. I’M ON DUTY. NO TIME FOR CONVERSATION.
5. Dredd roars
off into the traffic, steering with only his right hand. In the left, he holds
the bike’s comm handset. In the background, we see Morphy staring after
him.
DREDD: CONTROL? DREDD. WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR ME?
COMM: WELL, FIRST LET ME CONGRATULATE YOU, DREDD! WE ALL HEARD
ABOUT YOUR PERFECT SCORE!
DREDD: I REPEAT, WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR ME?
6. Close on bike’s
comm system. We can see the display pretty clearly. It’s listing several
crimes, with coordinates: HOMOCIDE, BURGLARY, JAYWALKING, ARSON, SPITTING.
COMM: JEEZ, DREDD! ALL RIGHT... ROBBERY IN PROGRESS, MEGA-CITY
BANK, GEORGE PEPPARD BLOCK, 48TH FLOOR. SEVEN PERPS.
Page 3 – six panels
1. Long shot, from very high up: We can see GEORGE PEPPARD BLOCK ahead. It’s
one of the newer cityblocks, and looks nice and shiny compared to the older blocks
around it. Ahead, the road branches to a sliproad the spirals down towards the
block.
DREDD: HOSTAGES?
COMM: NEGATIVE. PERPS KILLED ALL TWENTY-ONE CITIZENS AND STAFF
IN THE BANK, THEN SHOT OUT THE CAMERAS.
2. Medium on Dredd,
from behind, weaving like a maniac through the traffic towards the sliproad, which
is coming up close.
COMM: POSITION YOURSELF OUTSIDE AND HOLD FOR BACK-UP. ETA SIX
MINUTES.
DREDD: NEGATIVE, CONTROL! BACK-UP UNNECESSARY – I’LL
DEAL WITH IT MYSELF!
3. Similar to
panel 2, though much closer to the block. Dredd is steering the lawmaster towards
the road-side barrier.
DREDD: TURBO-BOOST!
4. Very large
panel, reverse angle: Dredd on the lawmaster, having leapt the barriet, cannons
blazing, coming right for us.
5. Inset: The
exterior wall of the block, being torn apart by the bullets from the bike.
6. Inset: Dredd
on the bike, coming right up to the (now seriously bullet-holed) wall of the block.
Page 4 –
six panels
1. Large panel: Int. George Peppard Block: The wall is blasted
apart as Dredd on the bike crashes through into a corridor.
2. Dredd roars
through the corridor, passing a large sign on the wall: “GEORGE PEPPARD”
with “48” in huge letters.
3. Dredd has stoped
outside the entrance to the Mega-City bank: It’s been roughly barricaded
– there’s debris everywhere, and a few bodies. Dredd uses the bike’s
PA system to talk to the perps inside the bank.
DREDD: ATTENTION! THIS IS JUDGE DREDD! YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE TO
SURRENDER!
PERP (OFF): OH YEAH? AN’ WHAT IF WE DON’T?
4. Hallway, in
front of the barricade. Dredd has his lawgiver aimed at the barricade.
DREDD: THAT WAS YOUR CHANCE! HIGH-EXPLOSIVE!
5. Int. bank,
long shot: The perps are in the foreground, ducking for cover as the barricade
in the entrance explodes. All the perps are young, tough-looking, street-punk
types. The leader is bigger and meaner than the rest.
PERP LEADER: DROKK! I TOL’ YA WE SHOULDA KEP’ SOME
HOSTAGES!
6. Same angle
as panel 5: There’s even more rubble all over the place, but now the doorway
is clear. The perps are looking up. Half-hidden in the dust, we see Dredd standing
in the doorway, his gun still raised, smoke coming from the barrel.
Page 5 –
six panels
1. Wide panel (all panels on this page are the same size, all
full width of page, all the same angle). This is an over-the-shoulder shot from
Dredd’s POV: All seven perps are scattered around the bank, all aiming their
weapons at him.
PERP LEADER: WHAT ARE YA WAITIN’ FOR? GET HIM!
2. Wide panel,
as before. Perp 2 (left-most) rushes forward. Dredd’s gun fires at him.
3. As before.
Perp 2 has been shot in the head, and is falling backwards. Dredd’s now
aiming at perps 3 and 4, firing twice.
4. As before.
Perp 2 still hasn’t hit the floor. Perps 3 and 4 have been shot and knocked
back. Dredd’s now aiming at Perps 5, 6 and 7, firing three times.
5. As before.
Perp 2 has almost landed, but not quite. Perps 3 and 4 have been thrown back,
5, 6 and 7 have also been shot.
6. As before.
All the perps apart from Perp leader are dead, sprawled on the ground. Perp leader
is standing up, his gun dropped, his hands raised. He looks absolutely stunned.
PERP LEADER: ...FASTEST I EVER SAW...
Page 6 –
six panels
1. Ext. Academy of Law, day. We’re looking down the steps
towards the road. Dredd has arrived on his battered lawmaster at the steps. A
few other judges are milling around. The mechanic is watching Dredd approach,
as is Judge Morphy.
DREDD: REQUISITION ME ANOTHER LAWMASTER, HASSAN.
MECHANIC: AW, DREDD! YOU ONLY BEEN GONE TEN MINUTES! WHAT DID
YOU DO TO HER!?
2. Medium on Dredd,
getting off the bike, Morphy standing next to him. The mechanic has crouched down
and is examining the bike.
MORPHY: I JUST HEARD, DREDD. FAST WORK.
DREDD: THANKS.
MORPHY: LOOK... YOU KILLED TODAY, DREDD. YOUR FIRST KILLS. YOU
WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?
3. Closer on the
two. Dredd looks impassive, as usual. Morphy doesn’t look too happy.
DREDD: NO. JUSTICE WAS DONE. I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH THAT.
MORPHY: ALL RIGHT... BUT I’M AROUND IF YOU NEED ME.
4. Medium. The
mechanic is still kneeling in front of the lawmaster, but has turned to look at
Dredd. Behind them, Morphy is mounting his own lawmaster, looking back at Dredd.
MECHANIC: HOW MANY ARRESTS YOU MAKE, DREDD?
DREDD: ARRESTS? NONE.
5. The mechanic
has stood back a little from the lawmaster, and is looking at Dredd with some
awe.
DREDD: SEVEN KILLS. ALL ARMED, WOULDN’T SURRENDER. REGRETABLE,
BUT NECESSARY.
MECHANIC: SEVEN KILLS IN YOUR FIRST TEN MINUTES! MY GRUD, DREDD!
I’VE NEVER SEEN A JUDGE LIKE YOU BEFORE!
6. Medium shot,
largish panel, looking back up the steps as Dredd and the mechanic head into the
Academy building.
MECHANIC: I MEAN, OF COURSE I’VE SEEN A JUDGE LIKE YOU
BEFORE, BUT I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER SEEN ONE AS GOOD AS YOU ARE.
MECHANIC: NOT EVEN YOUR BROTHER. NOT EVEN JOE.
END
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